Memory Box
by DiehardJavaJunkie14
Summary: My first chapter story! Rory and Lorelai open a time capsule aka Memory Box... what will they find? Java Junkie of course!
1. Spring Cleaning

"Ouch!" Lorelai shrieked as the clutter from the closet came tumbling down on top of her. What had she gotten herself into? Cleaning the closet was a task that was supposed to be simple enough, or so she thought.

"Oh, Paul Anka, did Mommy scare you with that closet avalanche? I'm sorry," she said, scratching Paul Anka behind the ear.

A simple bet with Rory the night before was now turning into something extremely complicated. Lorelai was awfully confident in her abilities on the phone, but when she tried to put her plan into action, things were getting ugly.

"Yeah, right, cleaning out the closet? What the heck was I thinking?"

She thought back to the conversation that was the impetus for the eventual cleaning.

"_What's up? Any plans for tonight? A hot date, maybe?" Rory asked._

_Lorelai laughed. "Yeah, a hot date. Sure, let me give Angelina a call and see if she'll let me borrow Brad for the night."_

"_Seriously, Mom! Anything going on?"_

_Lorelai sighed. "No, I'm figuring I may resort to Spring Cleaning, I'm so bored."_

_Rory gasped. "Who are you, and what have you done with my mother?"_

"_Well, kid, I figure sometimes, you just gotta grow up and clean out that junky closet, face the music, you know? If anyone can't find me at the inn tomorrow, let them know to search here, I may be under a pile of junk."_

"_I bet you will never follow through with that. You'll start to clean, then you'll get tired of it, and shove it all back in that closet. You're so predictable, Mom!"_

"_Lorelai Gilmore? Predictable? No, way! Five bucks says I will clean that closet until I can find the left and right shoe of each pair."_

"_Fine. You're on. Boy, people sure wouldn't bet on you in Vegas, that's for sure!"_

And now Lorelai found herself sitting in the middle of a pile of clutter she didn't know what to do with.

"I can do this," she thought to herself as she began to separate the items that had come crashing down on her. She sorted through what seemed like endless amounts of hangers, shoes, and shirts. She found makeup, CD's, and jewelry she thought she lost or forgot she had.

"Maybe I should clear everything out of the closet first. Then I can sort it out. What do you think, Paul Anka?" Lorelai asked.

The dog gave no response. Lorelai scooped up armfuls of items and dumped them randomly around the bedroom until she had almost cleared out the closet floor.

She took one last look inside the closet. Shoved in the corner was a shoebox, duct taped closed. Lorelai knew immediately what the box was. She shoved her clothes to the right side of the closet, creating a clear view of the large, dilapidated cardboard structure. She had to get Rory. This was big.

Jumping over the piles of junk she had started to sort, she finally made her way downstairs to Rory's room. Thank goodness she was visiting for the weekend.

"Wake up! Rory? Wake up!" Lorelai insisted as she shook Rory's shoulder.

"What time is it?" a sleepy Rory mumbled.

"Come upstairs, quick! I found it," Lorelai insisted.

"Mom, it's six o'clock on a Sunday morning. What could you possibly…"

"The time capsule, Rory!" Lorelai interrupted.

The words jogged Rory's memory and gave her a sudden jolt of energy. "I'll be right up," she said as she threw off her blankets.

Lorelai ran upstairs to clear a walking path for Rory. She shoved everything aside and sat on the bed. She positioned and repositioned herself, trying to get comfortable until Rory arrived. But, she couldn't seem to sit still.

She was nervous, curious, and excited, all at the same time. She really wasn't prepared for the emotions this box would bring when it was opened. Both she and Rory knew that the box meant a lot, and it was important to unearth its contents together.

"Let's get opening, Mom!" Rory said, running into the bedroom and trying to tie her bathrobe.

"Finally! What, did you take baby steps up here?" Lorelai teased.

Lorelai tiptoed over the piles she had now merged together. She got down on her knees and pulled, pushed, and dragged the box until it sat in the middle of the cluttered floor.

"Let's open it in the kitchen, so that way the stuff won't get mixed up," Rory suggested.

"Good plan," Lorelai agreed.

It was practically a race to the kitchen. Lorelai placed the box on the table. The two stepped back and stared at it for a moment, wondering where to start.

"Did we leave some sort of instruction for ourselves in opening this?" Rory asked.

Lorelai nodded. "There's a note on top of it, I'd assume that has the rituals and the spells we need to say before we open it."

Rory rolled her eyes. "Mom, this is a big deal… it's the time capsule! Our hopes, our dreams, our lives… they're in this very box! You don't joke about the sanctity of this beloved box!"

"All right, all right, I'm sorry. Now open the letter," Lorelai instructed, pointing to the envelope on the top of the box.

Rory pulled the envelope off of the first box and struggled to break the seal. "Nice job sealing the envelope, Mom!"

"Hey, I just wanted to make sure we wouldn't open it before the day you graduated Harvard, which obviously never happened," Lorelai insisted.

Rory opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper. "It's a letter to us from… us," she said.

"Oh! I remember that letter! I'll read it out loud," Lorelai said, taking the letter from Rory's hands.

She cleared her throat and read:

"Dear Lorelai and Rory,

This is younger Lorelai and younger Rory, writing to you from a galaxy far, far away. Weird, huh? Well, the date today is January 13, 1994. Since Rory had a "mental health" day, and we were both bored, we decided to make a time capsule. It shouldn't be opened until Rory graduates Harvard… if you can ever find it in that disgusting closet of yours, Lorelai. It contains many memories… have fun reminiscing!

Love, Younger Lorelai and Younger Rory"

Rory giggled. "Wow, we really were bored that day, huh?"

Lorelai grabbed a pair of scissors from a drawer nearby. "Yes, and the excessive duct tape proves that we knew our future selves quite well! We're goin' in, sweets," she said.

Lorelai cut through the tape that secured the two flaps "Ready?" she asked as she positioned her hands on each flap.

"Ready," Rory insisted as she watched her mom dig through the layers and layers of tape on the box.

Lorelai fumbled with the flaps as she gasped. "Look, Rory! It's your first novel!"

Rory smiled. "Oh, I remember this! I wrote about two girls that were supposed to be me and Lane, only I changed their names! Slightly embarrassing, but cool that we still have this!"

Lorelai took the stapled pieces of notebook paper out of the box. "Let's read a passage, shall we?"

"No, Mom! Embarrassing… please don't…"

"And Laura and Sara… wait, which one is you?" Lorelai asked, giggling.

"Sara… but Mom, really! Don't read it!"

"Ah, fine, I suppose I can spare you a little embarrassment," Lorelai said.

"Finally. Let's see what else is in here. Oh, hey! Look! Remember when we tried to invent our own language? Here's the letter key we made up!"

"Oh, yeah, I remember that! We spent all that time at the Inn trying to make up that language, but we never ended up using it! I love how we just ended up using other letters instead of symbols when we ran out of ideas. That was pretty ingenious of us, huh?" Lorelai said as she poked Rory.

"Ah, yes, we are so clever!" Rory replied, reaching across Lorelai and into the box.

Lorelai's jaw dropped in shock as she saw an item that brought a distinct memory from her past. In the box, face up, was an old menu from Luke's Diner.


	2. The Menu

"Oh, Mom, I'm sorry, let me take that," Rory said sympathetically as she pulled out the menu and put it aside.

Lorelai shook her head as she held out her hand. Rory gave Lorelai the menu and sat down next to her as Lorelai stared at the front cover.

"I remember the day I snagged this menu. You were at school, and I was on break from the Inn…"

_The bells chimed as Lorelai waltzed into Luke's. She needed coffee, and she needed it badly. The coffeepot at the Inn was broken, and until it could be repaired, Lorelai would suffer endlessly. Unless she had some of Luke's coffee, of course._

"_Oh, Luuuke!" Lorelai called from the door. _

_There was no answer. _

"_Luke! Coffee! Now!"_

_Luke emerged from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a dishtowel. _

"_Wow! I didn't even need to rub the lamp and talk to the genie for this! I guess 'Ask and you shall receive' really does work sometimes!" Lorelai said, laughing._

_Luke rolled his eyes. "You'll have to wait until I can make a pot. It's the best I can do, because I'm not the genie you speak of so highly," he said._

"_Ah, but you're good enough, I suppose. I just might have lunch here, too. Let's take a look at the menu and check out what's next on the list. Hey! You got rid of my check marks!" Lorelai whined._

"_Lorelai, you can't whip out a Sharpie and write on someone's property just because you have a rotten memory and can't figure out where you left off. It's vandalism, Lorelai, and if I didn't hate Taylor so much, I would have had him come down here and lecture you about defacing town property," Luke insisted._

"_Well, then, you should do what Rory and I suggested to you ages ago. Print up paper menus so people can take one home if they so choose. That way, I can write on it, because paper is okay to write on," Lorelai shot back._

_Luke sighed. "How do people keep up with you? Is there some sort of manual, a guide, Cliffs Notes, to help me understand the crazy coffee addict that sits before me?" he asked as he wiped down the counter._

_Lorelai shook her head. "No, my friend, you're up a creek without a paddle," she said as she put her chin in her hand. "And it's not exactly easy to understand Mr. Backwards Baseball Cap either."_

"_Actually, it's quite simple. I run this diner. I provide nourishment to tourists and the freakish townies of Stars Hollow. Not that difficult to comprehend."_

"_Okay, sure. Whatever you say. I personally am quite puzzled by the excessive use of flannel in your wardrobe, and the use of monosyllabic words in your vocabulary. Not so simple," Lorelai replied._

"_What would you prefer I wear to work, a tuxedo?" Luke asked sarcastically._

"_That would actually be really funny! You could wear the white gloves, too, and carry people's food out on a silver platter…"_

"_Ah, Jeez. Don't run with the idea, Lorelai, I was being sarcastic!" Luke said_

"_Whatever you say, but if you're gong to wear the tuxedo, your place will need a little makeover as well…" Lorelai giggled._

_Luke turned around to pour Lorelai's coffee when Lorelai sat on the menu she had been looking at. She grabbed another menu and opened it, hoping Luke wouldn't notice one was missing. This way, she could bring it home and mark it up any way she wanted. _

"_You going to order food, too? Because if you are, you might want to do so before the lunch rush," Luke suggested._

"_I'll just get a burger to go, seeing as how I am unsure what I last ordered, and I am thereby forced to start at the beginning," Lorelai said. She slid the menu inside her coat as Luke went back into the kitchen. _

"And I took the burger and walked out, menu and all," Lorelai reminisced.

"Wow. Did he ever find out?" Rory asked.

Lorelai laughed. "Yeah. Turns out he obsessively cleans and counts the menus at closing," she said.

"You okay?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Oh, hey! It's that picture of you when you went as Pippi Longstocking for Halloween!" Lorelai pulled the picture out of the box and handed it to Rory as she rummaged through the remaining contents of the box.

Rory knew her mom wasn't fine. Since the day her mom gave Luke the ultimatum, Rory noticed a change in her mom. Lorelai wasn't happy, and she wasn't herself. She noticed how quickly Lorelai changed the topic of discussion from the menu to the picture of Rory going Trick-or-Treating. Lorelai Gilmore hadn't been fine in a long time.

Rory knew that had to change.

"Wow, we've found some pretty awesome stuff in here," Rory said.

"We really have," Lorelai replied.

The two spent most of the morning digging through the old box and reminiscing. They found pictures, videos, and even a pair of socks Lorelai promptly put on her feet.

"I hate to end the fun, Mom, but I have to go now," Rory said. "I have stuff for the paper I can't miss."

Lorelai pouted. "Please, oh please? Won't you stay with your Mommy?"

Rory shook her head. "No, sorry. I have to get ready and go before it gets too late."

Rory gave her mom a hug and got ready to leave. Rory drove only a few minutes before she reached her destination: Luke's Diner.


	3. Holes

Rory timidly walked into the diner, glancing at the tables around her to see if Luke was busy. By the looks of things, she would get to talk to him for a little while, because the diner was practically empty.

Rory seated herself at the counter and waited for Luke to emerge from the kitchen. She hated waiting. There was something about sitting at the counter that made her feel awkward, but at the same time, she felt at ease. It was so odd to be in the diner after such a long time, but at the same time, it seemed right.

"Hey, Rory? What rhymes with Kirk?"

Rory jumped when she heard the voice coming from behind her. She turned around, and saw Kirk seated at a table in the corner.

"Kirk, you scared me!" she gasped.

Kirk shrugged. "Sorry, but it's really important. I'm writing a poem for Lulu. Tomorrow's our anniversary, and I wanted to give her something really special, you know?"

"Kirk, I've told you a hundreds, possibly thousands, of times, do NOT, under any circumstances, scare any of my customers. Ever."

Rory whipped her head around at the sound of Luke's voice.

"Wow, Rory. I… haven't seen you in awhile. How's… school?" Luke stuttered.

"You're surprised I'm here, aren't you? I am too, well, a little, anyway, seeing as how I lied to my mom about where I was going…"

Luke stopped in his tracks. "You what?"

"It was a white lie, a fiblet, if you will. Nothing major, and it will eventually be true, in a little while."

Luke poured Rory a cup of coffee. "Whatever you say, just don't make her mad at you."

"I won't, I promise. Girl Scout's honor," Rory said, holding up the proper fingers.

"So what brings you into the diner? It's… been awhile, and I was just… you know… curious," Luke said, passing such a crucial question off as unimportant.

"Well, I actually… wanted to talk to you. When you get a second, and if you're not too busy," Rory started nervously.

"I'd be glad to talk. And as you can see, there's no one in the diner but you and me…"

Kirk shot up from his seat, offended and angry.

"Hey! What am I? Chopped liver?" he protested.

"It's kind of hard to miss Kirk, and you did talk to him earlier," Rory pointed out.

"New philosophy. Ignore Kirk and maybe he'll go away," Luke whispered to Rory.

Rory smiled. Luke was exactly the same. She hadn't expected him to be any different, but it was comforting that he was still the same Luke she knew.

"Give me one word that rhymes with Kirk and I swear, I will leave. Mother is expecting me home soon, anyway," Kirk pleaded.

"Jerk rhymes with Kirk," Luke offered. "Now get out."

"But… that isn't for a love poem! I need a lovey word that rhymes with Kirk!"

Rory pulled out a ten dollar bill from her purse. She calmly walked over to Kirk and sat at his table.

"Here. This is ten dollars. My suggestion is to go to the bookstore ask Andrew for a rhyming dictionary. That way, you can write the poem all on your own, and Lulu will appreciate it so much more!"

Kirk pondered the idea of a rhyming dictionary for a moment. He stroked his chin and stared at the one lined poem on the sheet of college-ruled paper.

"I'll pay you back," Kirk said, taking the dollar bill and practically sprinting to the bookstore.

"Maybe that's the next thing you should try, bribery," Rory suggested.

Luke shook his head. "Nah, I'd be broke if I paid Kirk a dollar every time he annoyed me. Now what did you want to talk about? We're really all alone this time."

Rory sighed. She really hadn't planned out what to say, and she was definitely going to have to say something. She wasn't leaving the diner until Luke heard her unprepared speech.

"Well, uh… I got the idea to come here when Mom and I opened our 'time capsule.'" Rory placed air quotes around the term.

"A 'time capsule,' huh? What exactly is that?" Luke asked, repeating the motion.

"Well, it's a big box that Mom and I made when I was younger. We were supposed to open it when I graduated Harvard, which never happened. Well, my Mom found it today, and we opened it."

Luke stared at Rory, confused as to what the box had to do with her sudden visit to the diner.

"Inside the box was an old menu from the diner. You know, the one she swiped?" Rory explained.

Luke nodded slightly, and Rory noticed he was trying to hide a smile.

"Yes, I remember," he said, leaning against the back counter with his arms crossed.

"I guess she forgot she had it, because she got a little emotional, and it seemed like it was tough for her to see it again. My point is that I came here to try to do a little damage control," Rory said.

"Damage control?" Luke questioned.

"Well, not exactly damage control. What I mean is that we need a little reconciliation. You were a huge part of our lives, Luke, mine and my mom's. Things change, I know, and I realize that you two aren't getting married anymore. But despite the fact that June 3rd has been colored in with black Sharpie, you are still a part of our past," Rory insisted.

"Rory…"

"Luke, you gave me mashed potatoes when I was sick, and you came to my caterpillar's funeral. You were such a huge part of our daily existence. Did you know you were the first to serve me my REAL first cup of coffee?" she asked.

Luke shook his head. "No, I didn't." he replied.

"Mom wanted me to enjoy coffee the right way first. So she tricked me into thinking something else was coffee. I really can't remember what it was now, but it wasn't coffee. She didn't take me to Weston's, Luke. She took me here."

"And why does where you first tasted coffee or what funeral I came to matter?" Luke questioned.

"Because you're Luke. That menu was in the box for a reason. Now that we've been cut off, there's a huge hole in my life. For years, I had breakfast here, and I looked forward to it every morning. I never realized why Mom liked coming here so much, but one day, I noticed something. Do you know what I noticed, Luke?"

"I'm 0-for-2, what did you notice?"

Rory took a deep breath. "I noticed Mom give you the eyes."

"The eyes? What eyes?" Luke protested.

"The eyes she gives when she likes someone," Rory answered.

Luke sighed. "Those eyes."

"I know you know the eyes. And it was weird at first, then when I thought about it, I was really happy. Then, I thought further and further into it and was really sad to think about the hole that would be there if you two ever broke up. I didn't want the hole there. Can you fill the hole, Luke?"

"Ah, Jeez, Rory, I don't know…" Luke said awkwardly.

"It doesn't necessarily have to mean dating my mom again. Can you just, I don't know, write her a note? Smooth things over a little bit? Because Mom's hole is getting bigger now that my dad is gone, and she misses you. Please? Baby steps?"

Luke sighed. "I'll try to fill the hole," he conceded.

"Thank you, Luke. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," Luke replied.

Rory opened her purse to find the money she had set aside for her coffee was gone.

"It's on the house. You got Kirk to leave, I owe you."

Rory smiled slightly. "Thanks."

"See you soon?" Luke asked.

Rory nodded. "My hole needs a little patching up."

"Mine too," Luke said to himself as Rory walked out the door.


	4. The Letter

**A/N: I want to say that the Holes reference last chapter was not meant as a "dirty". It was supposed to symbolize an emotional void… more of a metaphorical hole. Just so you guys know, and so tehre was no misinterpretation of how this story was to go.**

While Rory was at the Diner, Lorelai cleaned up the mess she had made earlier that morning. She opened every box and wrote what it contained on the outside. She was slow to finish, as she was distracted by looking at old pictures and other memories that didn't make it into the time capsule.

Finally, the bedroom and the closet were clean. Everything had a place, and Lorelai was ready for bed. Cleaning had taken a lot out of her. She sat down on the bed and began to set the alarm when she realized there was something she hadn't put away.

It was the menu. Lorelai picked it up and carefully opened it, analyzing every mark made. She laughed at the little comments she had left herself around the item list, and smiled when she realized that she had tried everything on the menu.

She came across a note written in Sharpie in the bottom left corner, in Luke's handwriting. It read, "Lorelai Gilmore- DO NOT WRITE ON MY MENUS!"

Lorelai gasped when she read the note. She was so surprised that Luke would deface his own menus… he was a hypocrite! She inspected every inch of the menu, making sure there were no more secret messages inside or outside.

She tried to put the menu in the memory box, but couldn't bring herself to put it away. The box was sealed already, anyway, but maybe that was a sign. After all, the box was full of things from the past… things that have since become distant memories and entertaining stories. Maybe Luke wasn't meant to be a part of her past. Lorelai put the menu on the dresser and went to sleep.

The next day was a hectic one for Lorelai. The inn brought stress from everywhere, it seemed. Sookie was concerned about her newest recipe, and constantly begged Lorelai to taste it, even though she had five times already. Michel was preoccupied with an online drawing for a Celine Dion meet-and-greet, and, to top it all off, the hot water wasn't working properly, so guests were testy.

The end of the day couldn't have come soon enough. On the ride home, she contemplated what to eat that night. Everything sounded so good, and her plans to put her feet up on the coffee table and watch a movie sounded even better, regardless of what she would be eating. As she pulled into the driveway, she had narrowed her choices down to either pizza or Al's. She got the mail and began to sort through it.

"Rory Gilmore, Lorelai Gilmore, Rory L. Gilmore, Lorelai Gilmore…"

She took off her shoes, throwing them as far away from Paul Anka as possible, but in just the right spot so she could avoid tripping over them. Pizza ended up being the final decision. She reached for the phone and began dialing the number as she held the last letter in her hand.

The letter had clearly been dropped in her mailbox. It had no stamp, or return address. It simply said, "Lorelai." She recognized the handwriting right away. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. There was her name, written in all capital letters, across the front of the envelope.

She held the letter in her hands for awhile, staring at it and pondering what was inside. She decided to open it, as that was the only logical choice to make with a sealed envelope calling her name.

She slipped her finger underneath the flap of the envelope, waiting to see what was inside. As she began to open the envelope, the phone rang.

"Ah!" Lorelai cried. The phone had scared her and made her jump, resulting in a painful paper cut.

"Hello?" Lorelai answered in an annoyed tone.

"Lorelai, it's your mother."

Lorelai rolled her eyes in disgust. "Hi Mom, listen, um…"

Listen? Emily did just the opposite.

"I was just calling to confirm that both you and Rory will be attending Friday night dinner this week."

Lorelai used her free hand to mock her mother's incessant blabbering about what would be served, and how she needed to be prompt for dinner that week.

"Can I have Rory call you back later? I'd just love to chat, but I'm actually in the middle of something right now," Lorelai fibbed.

"What on Earth could possibly be so important that you cannot spare five minutes to confirm your presence at dinner?" Emily shrieked.

Lorelai looked around the room, hoping to find the subject of a lie she could tell to her mother.

"Well, uh, Mom, I…"

"You what, Lorelai?"

Lorelai frantically searched to formulate some sort of lie that sounded believable enough to dupe her mother.

"I'm about to take Paul Anka to the vet. He's leashed up, and ready to go… I'll have to call you tomorrow," she said.

Emily didn't buy Lorelai's creative lie.

"Lorelai Gilmore, you most certainly are not telling the truth. It's a simple question, with a simple answer, Lorelai. It's not like I'm asking you to state all of the digits of pi," Emily insisted.

Lorelai sighed. "Well, Mom, I…"

"It's a yes or no question. Will you or will you not attend dinner?" Emily interrupted.

Lorelai rolled her eyes and threw up her hand in frustration. "Yes, mother, I will be attending. You will have to ask Rory yourself, but I am sure she will grace you with her presence as well," she said sarcastically.

Emily's tone quickly changed. "Fabulous. We'll see you Friday night."

Lorelai hung up the phone and rubbed her temples. A long, frustrating day had just gotten longer and more frustrating because of Emily's phone call. She was unsure if she could handle any more stress, so she took the letter and put it on the kitchen counter to remind herself to read it in the morning.

By the end of the night, the pizza was long gone and the movie had been over for hours. But, after the fun had ended, Lorelai found herself lying in bed, unable to sleep. Every time she looked at the clock, it stared back at her. The red numbers seemed to be taunting her, laughing in her face at the fact that she couldn't sleep.

She threw the covers off, ran downstairs, and grabbed the letter.


	5. Hello Stranger

Lorelai opened the letter as quickly as she could. She sat down at the kitchen table, threw the envelope aside, and unfolded the pieces of paper she had pulled out.

The letter read:

"Lorelai,

It's been awhile, hasn't it? We've been avoiding each other, we haven't spoken, and we're still angry with each other. It's been way too long, and all of that definitely needs to change.

I got a visit from Rory today. She came into the diner, and told me about some box the two of you opened. Then she got all philosophical on me, and in a nutshell, she mentioned that you haven't been the same since we stopped seeing each other. Well, I'm going to be honest… neither have I.

It's been really difficult, you know? Well, of course you know, because you're going through it too. I miss you, Lorelai. I wanted to write you this letter because I feel like I needed closure. I hate the fact that both of us still have a lot of anger, a lot of animosity, over everything that happened. I really, truly, want that book to be closed.

I know it's not going to happen overnight. There's a lot that needs to be discussed, and there's a lot to sort out. But, I'm willing to put in the time and the effort to make things right again. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I'm all in.

We live in an imperfect world, Lorelai. In the perfect world, we could have talked out all of our problems, and there would have been no ultimatum. It would never have gotten as far as it did, because there wouldn't have been a huge fight.

It's not realistic to say that this letter is going to solve everything. You aren't going to come to the diner and profess your undying love for me, fixing all that once was broken, simply because I wrote some deep thoughts on paper.

But what I hope this letter does accomplish is an opening of the lines of communication again. I hope that you can come into the diner in the morning for a cup of coffee and some breakfast, just like you used to. I hope you can bring stories of Michel freaking out on guests at the inn, or some freaky town meeting that went on that I chose not to be a part of.

In the spirit of being honest, Lorelai, I still love you. You've been such a big part of my life, whether I was willing to admit it or not. Our past isn't something to just throw away, but that doesn't mean that things will run smoothly from the beginning. It's going to be difficult, but just being able to enjoy having you around is worth all of it.

I've said it once, and I will say it again. I miss you. I miss Rory and I miss Paul Anka, too, even though he and I aren't exactly best friends. I miss waking up in the morning, looking forward to your visit at the diner. I hope you miss me, too.

I understand if this reunion is something you aren't ready or willing to participate in. Yeah, I'll be crushed, but I love you, and I want what's best for you. I just hope you choose to talk to me again.

This letter has probably been so confusing, probably really annoying and repetitive. It's like a Luke rant on paper, in a way. I just hope you drop by, or call, or write, or even wave from the gazebo or something, because I can't take not having you around anymore.

I love you, Lorelai Gilmore.

-Luke."

To anyone else, the letter would have been ranting, meaningless, and confusing. But to Lorelai, the letter contained so many beautiful words. The letter was her source of hope for the future. It was Luke's heart and soul, poured out onto lined paper.

She read the letter over and over, almost as if she were searching for something new to appear. The letter seemed so simple, so… Luke. Lorelai found herself wanting to see Luke so badly since the moment she received the letter.

There were few times in her life in which she felt the need to have a man in her life so badly. But after the Christopher debacle, she decided that she wanted a real relationship. She wanted something lifelong and meaningful.

But she wasn't going to get it sitting at her kitchen table, wiping away tears and sniffling. She knew she needed to put forth just as much effort as Luke did, because she wanted it just as badly as he wanted it.

Lorelai grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and began writing a reply to Luke's letter. She tried and tried, but could get nothing on paper. Suddenly, she found herself separating the paper into four columns.

"Being Friends With Luke" was the header written across the first two. She quickly scrawled "Being in Love With Luke" across the next two columns. She couldn't help herself, so she wrote "Pro" in the first and third columns, and "Con" in the second and fourth.

"Gah, this is so unlike me! Rory Gilmore has influenced me more than I ever could have imagined," Lorelai said, reaching for the box of tissues she had grabbed on her way to the kitchen. She wrote frantically, trying to come up with a solution to her dilemma.

After fruitless efforts to make a Pro-Con list that would make Rory jealous, she took the letter and placed it onto the coffee table. She curled up on the couch, hoping to get some sleep before she had to leave in the morning. While she tried to fall asleep, her mind was racing with thoughts of how to reciprocate contact with Luke.

The answer was simple, but it just took awhile to figure out. Lorelai had to figure this out her way, and she had to start things up with Luke again her way. Pro-Con lists and nice letters didn't work for her.

So, after a restless night, Lorelai prepared to do what did work for her. She applied just enough makeup to cover the signs of her insomnia, got dressed, and made the trip to the diner.

As she walked in the door, she caught sight of Luke taking Kirk's order at a table across the room.

"Hey, there, stranger!" she blurted out.

And the morning rush of the diner came to a screeching halt.


	6. Gossips and Rants

Everyone turned to stare at Lorelai. Kirk bit his nails in anxiety, Babette covered her mouth as she began to whisper, and Miss Patty's jaw dropped in shock. The diner was silent as Lorelai took a seat at the counter.

"What are all of you looking at? Eat your food," Luke demanded.

The crowd attempted to mind their own business, but everyone was still intrigued by Lorelai's sudden visit.

"Hi, Lorelai," Luke said as he walked behind the counter.

"I got your letter," Lorelai said.

"You did? Good, I'm glad."

Lorelai put her chin in her hands, watching Luke work.

"How have you been?" Lorelai asked.

Luke shrugged as he wiped his hands. "I'm okay, how about you?"

"I've been better, I guess… things aren't really going great, but I'm handling it fine. How's April?"

Lorelai saw a slight smile come across Luke's face. "She's good… she actually won a Science award at her school… some contest thing, or something."

"Good for her," Lorelai said.

The meeting was awkward, but that was to be expected. Lorelai wanted to change that right away.

"Can I have a double cheeseburger, extra, extra cheese? Oh, and some chili fries, too? Extra, extra chili on those, please."

"Lorelai, I don't make double cheeseburgers, it's not even lunch yet. How could you possibly eat all of that this early? And… are you ASKING for a heart attack?"

Lorelai pouted. "Please, Luke? I want to have a double cheeseburger really bad, and I'd be forever grateful!"

"Are you aware that if you pout too much your face will stay like that?" Luke asked, wiping down the counter.

"It won't stay like that, I've been doing the pout since I was like, born! It's my trademark face!"

"Your trademark face?" Luke asked in a monotone voice.

"Yeah, everyone has a trademark face! Yours is the eye rolling, growly face… like this!" Lorelai did her best imitation of Luke's exasperated eye roll.

"Spitting image," he replied dryly.

"Come on, Luke! It looks just like your face, you didn't even look!" Lorelai repeated the face, this time more exaggerated and dramatic.

"Spot on, Lorelai, I am speechless," Luke answered sarcastically.

Lorelai smiled as Luke turned around to bring someone breakfast. Being in the diner made her realize how much she had missed it. Luke's letter said it best. It had been way too long, and she needed to patch things up with Luke. She was glad she decided to come back.

"Here's your heart attack on a plate," Luke said, giving Lorelai her breakfast.

"Thank you! Oh, how I have missed these burgers!" She took a huge bite out of the burger.

"I'm sure they've missed you, too, Lorelai, and please, oh, please, do not give me a response with your mouth full."

Lorelai could hear Babette whispering in the background, and she could feel the stares of the local townspeople, watching her every move. Kirk and Lulu practically craned their necks to hear what Luke and Lorelai said, and Miss Patty attempted to discreetly return to the counter over and over, pretending to get more napkins.

"This is unbelievable," Luke said.

"Ooh! I feel a Luke rant coming on… go, Luke! I should have a cheerleading outfit made, remember when you had the hats and shirts made for the vicious soccer team? I could do that! Go Luke! I feel like I need pom-poms or something!" Lorelai waved her imaginary pom-poms for Luke.

"People are so invested in our lives. It's pathetic," Luke started.

"Yeah, sometimes people really have nothing better to do with their lives, huh?" Lorelai offered.

Luke nodded. "I agree."

"I mean… get a hobby, or something, right?"

"Well, yeah, it's a small town, but instead of prying into other people's lives, they should really mind their own business," Luke insisted, shooting a look at Miss Patty and Babette.

The town gossips knew they were being watched, but they shamelessly went on whispering. They held menus in front of their mouths, so no one could read their lips, but it was blatantly obvious who and what they were talking about.

"It's inconsiderate, and rude and…"

"Hey, I thought this was my rant," Luke interrupted.

"Sorry, you can have the floor," Lorelai conceded.

"Sorry to ruin your fun, but… Jeez!"

"Yeah, I totally agree!" Lorelai started.

Lorelai began to whisper. "I think we should meet at my place tonight… you know, talk things over? In private? Sort of private, at least?"

Luke nodded. "Sure, but back to the rant, make it look believable."

"Oh! Right! Well… I really think that Taylor…"

Luke stopped wiping down the counter. "Lorelai, I…"

"This is changing the subject, but can I get another cup of coffee? That would be really, really good," Lorelai added, pointing to the empty mug.

"Lorelai!"

"Yes, Luke?" Lorelai replied, satisfied that she had done her job.

"I'm glad you're back."

Lorelai smiled. "You know what? I'm glad I'm back, too."

She finished her food and left. When Luke went to clean up her dishes, he found an envelope underneath one of the plates. He was suprised that Lorelai bothered to write him back, as she was just there, and they planned to talk later, anyway. He pocketed the envelope when no one was looking.

"Caesar, I'll be right back," Luke called into the kitchen.

He just had to know what was in the letter.


	7. Pens and Replies

Luke shut the door to his apartment and sat down. He was really surprised Lorelai responded to his letter, but at the same time, he was really glad.

He opened the envelope to find an extremely long letter. That really wasn't anything new, because Lorelai could talk all day if she was given the opportunity.

He began to read:

"Luke,

I got your letter, and tried to respond to it a million times. I finally decided to try a million and one times. To use your word, Jeez! Monosyllabic man is no longer! Your letter was really nice. It was really heartfelt, and it meant a lot to me that you decided to write to me.

I have the letter right here next to me. I've read it countless times, mostly because it makes me feel like things are somewhat normal again. The letter made me really, really happy. I'm glad that you felt the need to get things started again… I did, too.

I'm not surprised Rory went to you and tried to convince you to talk to me again. Did she do the pout? Or the puppy dog eyes? She obviously did something, because you wrote me a letter. She's a sneaky one, isn't she? Part of me wants to hit her upside the head for doing this behind my back, but part of me thinks she knows I know. Does that make sense?

I'm not sure that anything makes much sense for me lately. I've been through a really rough stretch, and I think your letter was the metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel. I didn't know that a stupid box filled with memories could do something like this… Rory joked about how sacred and important the box was, but I brushed it off. I knew that the stuff inside had significance, but honestly, the menu really threw me off. I don't even remember putting it in the box.

Anyway, to your letter. Your wonderful, amazing, perfect letter. I'll start from the beginning.

It has been too long, Luke. We both held our feelings in, and we were really afraid to share them with one another for fear of losing each other. But that obviously went haywire, seeing as how we are no longer together.

I already said how difficult things have been for me since we stopped speaking. It was comforting to hear that you were having a hard time, too. It's not like I was happy that you were upset, I'm not that cruel… but it made me feel like someone understood how I was feeling, and I wasn't going through it all alone.

We both have a lot of things we're concerned or upset about. They can be fixed. Yes, they're big hurdles. But, I know from experience that sometimes, when people reconcile, they don't even remember why they were angry with each other. We know what problems we had, or still have, but maybe when we talk them out, they won't seem as hard to handle. Maybe I'm being extremely optimistic, but it's possible that this could be fixed.

There's a lot of stuff that's gone on lately, and every time something bad happened, I wanted to go to you, hoping that you would make me feel better like you always used to. But when the thought came to me, it always made me upset, because I realized that it was impossible to go to you, because we weren't speaking.

The line in your letter that made me happiest was the one when you said you still loved me. I love you, too. Those feelings won't ever go away, despite the fact that I pathetically tried to cover them up, hoping they'd disappear.

You kept saying how it wasn't going to be easy to fix all of our problems. But I really appreciate the fact that you said you'd make an effort. I will, too.

Paul Anka misses, you, too. He just doesn't seem to like having his belly scratched unless it's by you… maybe I just don't know how to do it right, or maybe it's some sort of male-bonding thing you two had. I don't know. But every once in awhile, he'd roll over on his back, and I'd be really upset, because I would think of you, and how I wished you could fix things for me as easily as you could for him.

And to address the final major point in your letter, you're now stuck with me. I won't just wave from the gazebo, because I missed your coffee too much. I'm not going to stay away anymore, and that's bad news for you, Luke. And don't think that I'll settle for decaf, just because I missed you. I know there was a rolling of the eyes there, but I'm sure there was a smile following it. I know everything about you, Luke. It's actually scary at times.

I love you, Luke. Let's not fight anymore, okay? Should I have some sort of peace offering? Should we sign a treaty? We need to do something, because this fighting isn't doing me any good. It's just making me more miserable, and it makes me miss you more.

And Paul Anka will only put up with the sub par belly rubs for so much longer.

Luke Danes, I love you.

Love, Lorelai"

Luke finished reading the letter and put it on the table. He felt like things were being patched up already, just through letters.

Meanwhile, Lorelai was at the Inn, trying to deal with Michel.

"Michel, if you know where I put the pen, just tell me, so I can start using it, please? And answer the phone,"

Michel shook his head.

"No, I don't think so. It's far more amusing to watch you form a search party for an inanimate object," he retorted in his annoying French accent.

"Fine, Michel, I will answer the phone if you tell me where the pen is!"

"I do not take bribes, Lorelai, unless they involve an extremely substantial amount of money."

Lorelai rolled her eyes and reached for the phone.

"Dragonfly Inn, Lorelai speaking."

"Mom! Hi!" Rory said from the other line.

"Rory Gilmore, you sneaky, sneaky child. You went behind Mommy's back and tried to fix all of her problems."

Rory paused, trying to think of an answer. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said innocently.

"Come on, don't think I don't know everything. I'm not stupid, you know."

Rory sighed. "All right, I'm sorry, I just…"

"No, no it wasn't a bad thing. I mean, Luke and I are starting to talk again, and it's good. It's kind of… awkward, and a little difficult, but things are getting somewhere. Thanks for looking out for me, sweets," Lorelai interrupted.

"You're welcome. I'm just glad you're happier. You haven't been the same, and I was just worried about you, you know? You weren't the Lorelai Gilmore you used to be. That wasn't good for me, I was thinking you were an impostor or something," Rory teased.

"Nope, no Lorelai-snatchers here. Thanks, Rory. I really do appreciate the effort. Now Luke and I just have to figure out this sticky mess on our own."

"I'm happy this is getting somewhere," Rory said.

Lorelai smiled. "I am, too. I gotta go, Michel found the pen I was looking for."

"A pen?"

"Long story, I'll call you later."

"Looking forward to this one," Rory said.

The end of the day brought nervousness and excitement for Lorelai. When she finally got to go home, all she could think about was her meeting with Luke the two had agreed on in the diner earlier.

She didn't have to think long. She had barely taken off her new shoes when the doorbell rang.


	8. The Elephant and the Reconciliation

She jumped in surprise when she heard the doorbell ring. She was expecting it, but dreading it, all at the same time. Her life was a mixture of emotions lately, one big oxymoron. Lorelai took a quick look in the nearest mirror and answered the door. There was Luke, standing on her porch.

"Hey," she said, leaning her shoulder onto the door.

"Hey," Luke replied anxiously.

"Come on in," Lorelai insisted, gesturing to the living room.

This meeting seemed even more awkward than the one at the diner. It was the first time they had been together, alone, in a long time. Luke stood in the entryway with his hands jammed into his jacket pockets. Lorelai could tell he was nervous. She felt his pain.

"You can sit, you know."

Luke took a deep breath. "Thanks," he said.

The two sat down on the couch, staring at each other in deafening silence. Lorelai pulled a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled.

"So," Luke started.

"Look, Luke, this is awkward, I know. I'm feeling it too. But this has to be accomplished eventually. It's a big step for us. We're both nervous about this 'talk' we're going to inevitably have to have. We need to get it over with, so the elephant in the room can go back to see his circus friends. He's getting lonely."

Luke leaned forward. "I actually understood that entire elephant speech," he said, tapping his fingers together.

"We understand each other, Luke. It just happens. I'm often just as shocked when I totally understand a Luke Danes rant. That's one thing we've got on our side here," Lorelai said.

Luke nodded. "I guess so."

Luke and Lorelai sat a few more long, painful moments in silence before Lorelai had to start things.

"Okay, somebody needs to start. I'll start," she volunteered, taking a deep breath.

"I'm so, so sorry for everything that happened. I messed up. I hate that I was so selfish and just plain rude, Luke. I am willing to promise you that this kind of stuff will never, ever happen again. No more pressure, no more ultimatums, and no more secrets. It all just ends up hurting you, and hurting me."

Luke sighed. "What about April?" he asked.

"What about her? She's someone important in your life, Luke. She's your daughter. During our fight, I thought about how much I really would like to get to know April better, and how if I ever got the chance, I'd do just that. You and April come like a package deal, kind of like me and Rory," Lorelai said.

Luke sighed and straightened up again.

"I heard the truth about your karaoke during Lane's wedding."

Lorelai put her head in her hands, embarrassed that the truth had come out somehow. There was such a good cover-up effort by Miss Patty, how could the truth have reached Luke?

"How?" Lorelai croaked, choking back the tears she knew would come.

"I overheard, you know, around places in the town…"

"I'm sorry for that, too. I'm sorry for what happened after our fight, I'm really regretting that I didn't just go back to my house and call Rory or something…"

Lorelai reached for a tissue on the coffee table as Luke put his hand gently on her knee.

"And I was just so, so stupid! I mean, I've done some amazingly stupid things in my life, but none this bad! I…"

"Lorelai, you're not the only one at fault here. I messed up too," Luke admitted.

"Luke…"

"I'm serious. I was being stupid… I cut off my relationship with you in order to have a relationship with April. I lied to you, and I kept secrets from you, and that's not right. I was wrong, too. I'm really, really sorry," Luke apologized.

Lorelai grabbed another tissue. "I'm sorry, too," she said.

"And from now on, I'll tell you everything. No matter how hard it is."

Lorelai wiped her eyes.

"I will too, I swear," Lorelai said.

Luke wrapped Lorelai in a hug and held her as she cried.

"We'll fix this, I promise," Luke said, gently rubbing her back.

"I really want to fix it," Lorelai sobbed.

"Clean slate… starting now." Luke said.

Lorelai sat up and let out a sigh of relief.

"I'd like that," Lorelai admitted.

"Good… I do, too."

Lorelai leaned her head on Luke's shoulder, letting the reconciliation sink in. It probably wouldn't hit her until the next morning, but it was so amazing to have Luke back.

"So, this is good," Luke said after a long pause.

"Yeah, I think our friend Mr. Elephant went back home to see the bearded lady in the circus. He probably understands that we don't want him back here again," Lorelai replied.


	9. Peace Offering

The day after the official reconciliation was like Christmas for the town gossips. Luke was constantly bombarded with inquiries about how things were going, or if there would be a romance to watch for, all morning long.

Luke was getting tired of all the drama. He was glad to have April as a buffer that day, for sure. It was a busy morning, but by ten o'clock, things had died down a little, allowing April to bring out her laptop and type away at the counter.

"What are you doing?" Luke asked curiously.

April was quick to answer. "I'm Googling the scientists on my list, so I can figure out what they invented, or discovered, or whatever. The Science Bowl is next week, and I need to do well. Our team has to win that lab funding."

Luke nodded. "Oh. Sounds… interesting," he offered.

April shrugged. "I guess so. If you're into that kind of thing."

He watched April as she typed. Luke started to clean out the salt and pepper shakers, thinking about the night before and how much it meant to him to have Lorelai back. It had seemed like things would never get better for the longest time, but now they were on the mend.

"Hey, April, I have a question for you," Luke said, interrupting the sound of April's typing.

"Shoot," April answered, peering over the laptop's monitor.

Luke sighed and put down the salt shaker.

"Well, I need some advice… well, not really advice, but a suggestion, possibly some direction…"

April shut the laptop. "I get it. Continue."

"Well, I want to… let's put it this way. You know how when you appreciate someone, you want to give them something... to show them that... you, know, appreciate them?"

April nodded slightly, trying to process what Luke was trying to say.

"I need… some sort of a hint, or a suggestion… as to what to get someone."

"This isn't an 'I appreciate you' gift, is it? Honestly, no one gives people a just-because gift, well, at least you don't. There's usually some ulterior motive," April replied.

"Well, yeah, sort of," Luke conceded.

"Is this gift going to be for a certain woman you began speaking to again after a long period of time? Maybe one named Lorelai?" April asked.

"Ah, Jeez, this was obvious, wasn't it?" Luke sighed.

"Yeah, a little conspicuous. But I'll be glad to help you. I think the terminology you're looking for is a 'peace offering'. More like an apology gift of some nature."

Luke mulled the thought over in his head. A peace offering. That sounded simple enough. It sounded like something he could handle, something meaningful, yet not intimidating.

"Yeah, that sounds like the best phrase. So, what should I do? Should I make her something, buy her jewelry?"

April raised her eyebrows. "Jewelry? For a simple, meaningless 'peace offering?' Are you joking?"

Luke grunted. "Well, what else would one be expected to give someone as a 'peace offering?'"

"All right, all right, let's go on the making her something idea. It has to be something out of the blue, less formal…" April stopped mid sentence. "Do you know how to burn CD's?" she asked.

Luke shook his head. "No, I have no idea. I wouldn't even know where to start with that."

"Well, it's really simple, actually, I can help you if you want. I'll teach you how to do it, so it will be something you made for her."

"You would help me with that?"

"Sure. Do you know what kind of music she likes?"

Luke rubbed his forehead with a pained look on his face. "Well, I saw her wear a Bon Jovi hat once."

April nodded. "That's definitely a start." She opened up her laptop and began clicking.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm pulling up all the Bon Jovi songs I have in my iTunes library," April answered, matter-of-factly.

"iTunes? What the heck…"

"It's a music downloading software that comes with your iPod. You install it and you can download songs to put on your iPod or burn to CD's," April explained.

"Wait a minute, isn't that illegal? I read in the paper that college kids were getting busted for doing that junk," Luke started.

"No, you pay for these, it's completely legal."

"Ah. I see. What do you have for Bon Jovi?" Luke asked.

"Well, we've got 'Livin' on a Prayer'… and that's about it. I'm not a big Bon Jovi fan, I thought I had more songs, though."

"Well, go ahead and make that the first song we put on the CD," Luke insisted.

"I'm not making it. You are, I'm just checking out what I have. What else are we looking for?"

"She likes the Go-Go's, and the loved the Bangles in high school, actually. She still might like both…"

"'Walk Like an Egyptian', 'Vacation', 'We Got the Beat'…?" April asked.

"All of them. She'll like it regardless," Luke said.

"Okay. What else?"

"Ah, Jeez, I don't know… why have I never listened to her when she talked about this kind of stuff?"

"Lesson learned?" April asked.

"Yes, lesson learned," Luke affirmed.

Luke and April spent the rest of the morning coming up with songs Lorelai would like. It was tough, but they put together a CD sure to become a very nice peace offering. He decided to leave Caesar in charge and take a trip to the Inn so he could give her the peace offering.

Luke walked into the inn's lobby to find Lorelai arguing with Michel.

"Michel, I think I have told you this enough for you to remember."

"I'm sorry, maybe a string around my finger will allow me to better retain the information," Michel replied, without looking up from his work.

Luke stood watching, as the argument was far too amusing to interrupt.

"If you give me the opportunity, I would tie that string so hard around your finger," Lorelai said.

"Oh, please, Lorelai, I am not scared of your threats to physically harm me, you would not harm an insect."

"Michel, if I would not face consequences for my violent acts, I would have hurt you long, long ago," Lorelai said.

"Wow, that's funny, I feel the same way about Taylor," Luke offered.

Michel jerked his head up to see who was there.

"What are you doing here?" he asked Luke.

Lorelai decided to intervene. "Michel, go back to work, I will take care of this. Hi, Luke, this is a surprise. Why don't we go outside, we can get out Michel's way," she said.

Luke nodded. "Yeah, I can't stay long, but I decided to come over, and you know, see if you needed anything fixed," he said, motioning to his toolbox.

"Hi, Bert! It's been awhile, hasn't it?" Lorelai patted the toolbox.

"He'd say hi back, but you know… he's a toolbox," Luke said.

Lorelai smiled. "Ah, well, then, what fun are you, mister?" she asked, again addressing the toolbox.

"Maybe he's not really a toolbox, maybe he has some hidden secret or something," Luke said sarcastically, putting it on the ground.

"Ah, I doubt that. It's not like your toolbox holds secret agent paraphernalia or something," Lorelai insisted.

Luke gave no answer.

"And it's not like he's secretly a pot of gold, found by a happy little leprechaun at the end of the rainbow… right?"

"See for yourself," Luke offered, stepping away from Bert.

Lorelai shot Luke a confused look.

"Is this a trick?" she asked.

"If you're asking if some sort of snake is going to come out at you, like they do when people open a fake can of peanuts, no. Since when have I been a practical joker?"

Lorelai cautiously stepped toward the box. She slowly opened the top, prepared to run or shield herself if necessary. But when she opened the toolbox, nothing came flying.

"Phew," Lorelai sighed.

"What, you didn't trust me?" Luke asked.

It was then that Lorelai caught a glimpse of the CD.

"Oh, my gosh!" Lorelai pulled the CD out of the box. "Luke, you made this?" she asked, smiling in awe.

"Yeah, I wanted to give it to you… sort of as a peace offering, I guess," he replied.

"Thank you, Luke. I love it already, I know it."

"Ah, that's okay, it was just a little something… you know, just… because."

"I can't wait to listen to it," Lorelai replied excitedly.

"Good. Well, I've gotta get back…"

"All right… I'll see you later?" Lorelai asked.

Luke nodded. "Yeah, sure. See ya."

"See ya," Lorelai replied.

Lorelai listened to the CD at the front desk, the volume turned down just low enough so that she could hear it, but it didn't disturb anyone else. She put the CD on repeat, and hummed along to the songs.

Before long, she couldn't stand it any longer. She just had to call Rory.


	10. Musical Interludes

Lorelai grabbed the phone and crunched herself in the same cramped closet she previously used to call Luke in. Now, being in the closet seemed weird, and unfamiliar. She dialed Rory's number and leaned up against the closet door.

"Hello?" Rory answered.

"Hey, sweets. How's life?"

"It's okay, it was kind of hectic at the paper last night, but you know me. I wasn't going to let things run away from me."

Lorelai pumped her fist in the air. "Hooray, Rory! Ro-ry! Ro-ry!"

"Thank you, thank you. I love all of my adoring fans," Rory replied sarcastically.

"Oh, Rory! I'm the president of your fan club, and I just love you sooo much! Can I get a picture with you?"

"That's enough adoration for one day, I need to go get my makeup done."

"Ooh, you'd be a snooty celebrity! Do you throw cell phones at your maids?"

"No, I'm not violent. But, it's kind of fun, walking all over people, being aggressive and hoity-toity. Maybe I need an alter ego?" Rory suggested.

"Nah. I love the sweet, gentle, humble, practical Rory Gilmore!"

"Hey, it was worth a shot. And I can also be mean if I need to."

"Right you are, my lovely daughter. Watch out… if you have it coming, it's coming from Rory Gilmore!"

"Not randomly, though. It's more if they did something to hurt you, or my friends, or sometimes me."

"All right, so you're not as aggressive as we thought. But I still love you."

"Aww, thanks," Rory replied.

"So hey, guess who stopped by the inn today, bearing gifts?"

Rory paused. "Santa Claus?"

"No, not in May. No Santa for another seven months. Guess again," Lorelai teased.

"Umm… Grandma?"

Lorelai gasped in mock horror and shuddered at the thought. "God, no. She wouldn't be seen doing such a thing. What kind of gift would Emily Gilmore bestow upon her daughter?"

"I give up," Rory admitted. "I have no idea. Who?"

"One more guess?"

"Okay, this is the last guess. Mia?"

"Nope. One more."

"Mom, I have no clue. Who was it?"

"Ah, fine, I'll tell you. Luke."

"Luke gave you a present?" Rory asked, somewhat surprised.

"Hey, don't sound so upset," Lorelai teased.

"What did he give you?"

Lorelai liked the idea of keeping Rory in suspense. It was really amusing, and she would let Rory develop her own little twist on the day's events.

"Well…" Lorelai started.

"Mom, seriously, you need to spill, or else I will go absolutely nuts. And does this little gift pave the way for more?"

"You see, Rory, that's a little complicated…"

"Complicated? That's an understatement, Mom."

"You see, lately… I'm just… so glad to have him back, you know?" Lorelai explained.

"Is what you're going to tell me be worthy of a variation of a Partridge Family song?" Rory interrogated.

"Partridge… wait, you lost me, I was going deep into the depths of the soul of Lorelai Gilmore, and you ruined my concentration. All I heard was the Partridge comment."

Rory sighed. "There's a song called 'I Think I Love You', and I was referring to that."

"Ah, that song. An oldie, but a goodie. And you know, Kirk once told me that everything in life has a musical interlude."

"A musical interlude, huh? Well, how does that work?"

"Well," Lorelai started. "Say someone was talking to you. And you were talking about… something, I don't know. And you say to this person, 'Oh, that's so ironic!' The interlude would be the Alanis Morissette song."

"I think I am now even more confused than I was before," Rory sighed.

"That's Kirk for you, coming up with this crazy stuff," Lorelai explained.

"You never answered my questions, though. What did he get you, and does this mean things are to the point where a reunion might be possible?"

Lorelai paused for a moment. The way things were with Luke were so inexplicable that it was difficult to come up with an answer, or even a musical interlude. It wasn't love quite yet, and they didn't hate each other, but at the same time, Lorelai didn't want to be just friends.

"Uh, I don't know, sweets. It's a tough relationship to describe at this point."

"Tell me about it. And Mom, what did he get you?"

"He MADE me a CD," Lorelai corrected. 

Rory gasped. "Wow, that took a lot of effort. Is it a good CD?"

"Ah, well, there's no Bowie, but I'll survive. He got all embarrassed and monosyllabic when he gave it to me, too. He called it a peace offering. It was nice, I appreciate the gesture."

"Did he use tinfoil wrapping paper?" Rory teased.

"Ah, Jeez, one time, I wrapped your birthday presents in tinfoil, and it was only like, two of them! Will this never be let go?"

"Ah, maybe eventually it will," Rory laughed.

"No, he put it inside Bert!"

Rory smiled. "Bert! How is our good friend?"

"Excellent, excellent, same as always. No more talkative than usual, aging well."

"Good. Hey mom?"

"Yes, Rory?" Lorelai attempted to stretch her aching back, which was getting sore after a long time of crunched up in the closet.

"Be honest with me, now, Mom. This is an important question. We need to assess where things are. Are you falling for Luke again?"

Lorelai paused. This was a big question. In reality, the question seemed so complicated, so difficult to answer. But in her heart, it seemed so simple. She just had to get the two to connect somehow, and it would make her life complete.

"Wow, that was a random question," Lorelai giggled nervously.

"It's not a random question, Mom. It is totally called for and necessary. Are you falling in love with Luke again?"

"Yes." Lorelai answered simply.

"Yes?" Rory repeated, trying to make sense of the answer.

"Yes, I am falling for Luke… again."

Lorelai was shocked she was being so honest with Rory. She had just gotten around to being honest with herself about the whole situation.

"As happy as I am for you, Mom, I have to metaphorically catch you," Rory said.


	11. Dust Bunnies

"Catch me? What the heck do you mean, catch me?" Lorelai asked.

She was shocked Rory wasn't entirely happy with the fact that Lorelai Gilmore had actually thought about getting back together with Luke.

"Let me talk, and then you can think about it... and then I might drop you. I mean you really need to have a serious talk with Luke. You two didn't fight over something stupid, like potholders or something. You fought about what you told each other, and what you chose not to tell each other. There are some underlying issues that need to be worked out. Just because you cried, and you said you were sorry, and you 'made up,' that doesn't mean that everything's well in Whoville." Rory explained.

"Huh?"

"Mom, you two have some issues to get over. What happens with April? What happens with Dad? What happens now that you got married, and ran off to Paris with Dad?"

"Are you taking Luke's side?" Lorelai gasped.

"No, I'm being practical Rory. Remember, you said you liked that? Maybe you need a resident therapist, you know, so you can talk stuff out? I can help you," Rory offered.

"I don't quite have enough room to lie down, I'm in the closet right now," Lorelai gently reminded Rory.

"Okay, well you can sit upright and listen to my advice, then."

Lorelai sighed. "Fine. I just want to know how to officially patch things up."

"First, you talk to Luke, in private. You need to work through all the issues you had. I mean, don't cover them up and apologize, you need to address them and really work out a plan for this kind of stuff."

"Okay," Lorelai agreed.

"Second, you need to prioritize. What are you willing to do to get Luke back? Then you need to set boundaries, and then you need to work out some sort of compromise with these issues. I mean, what if you wanted more kids? You know how Luke is about jam hands…"

"All right. I'll talk to him."

"I think it would be wise, you know, working out all of the issues, instead of pushing them aside. I'm proud of you," Rory said.

Lorelai took a deep breath. "Is this a do or die type thing?"

"Honestly? Yes. You need to clean up the mess. Good Luck. Call me when it's over, and I suggest you stop by when he's closing. He'll be ready to listen then, I hope."

"Got it," Lorelai insisted. "Thanks. Sometimes I need a reality check."

"Anytime. Talk soon," Rory replied.

Lorelai emerged from the closet and hung up the telephone.

"Well, well, well, Lorelai decided to come join the rest of us hard workers. Maybe she'll be able to help run the inn now," Michel announced sarcastically.

"Shut up, Michel," Lorelai said, putting on her jacket.

"Ooh. I am so scared. Shut up… what an amazing comeback."

"Michel, leave Lorelai alone!" Sookie said as she tried to break up the war of words. "Are you leaving, Lorelai?"

"Yeah, just for a little while, though. I'll be back."

"Lorelai, you really look stressed out. It's seven, you can really head home now, I'll handle Michel," Sookie offered.

"All right, but I'm staying later tomorrow," Lorelai insisted.

Lorelai left the inn and headed to Luke's. She wasn't prepared for the talk, she just knew she had to do it. For some reason or another, she was extremely nervous... she wasn't in her normal Lorelai Gilmore state. Part of her hoped Luke wasn't even in the diner. Maybe they could get along like they had for the past few days for a little longer. She didn't want to ruin things.

She wasn't so lucky. She was really dreading seeing Luke, and unfortunately for her, Luke was starting to wipe down the counter as Lorelai walked in.

"Hi," she said, standing by the door.

"Hi."

"Listen, can we talk… in private? When you get a chance, I mean? You don't have to drop everything…"

"Caesar! I'll be back, I'm going out!" Luke called into the kitchen.

"Can we go to my place? I think we'd have the most privacy there, like we really could get any at all…"

"Sure," Luke agreed.

Lorelai tried to run her speech through her head as they walked. It wasn't going very well, though. What she wanted to say wasn't coming out gracefully, and it wasn't profound.

Lorelai unlocked the door and invited Luke inside. They sat down on the couch and Lorelai took a deep breath.

"So you know how we made up… the other night?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah, I remember."

"Well… I think before we… you know, start a relationship again… romantic, or otherwise… we need to work some stuff out."

Luke crossed his arms. "Is this going to start another fight between us?"

Lorelai shook her head. "It's not meant to. We just have to talk about issues we had… before. We can't just sweep them under the rug, and let them snowball into dust bunnies and take over."

"Dust bunnies?" Luke repeated.

"It's a metaphor. Just go with it."

Luke repositioned himself on the couch. "If you insist. The dust bunny thing will just make it hard for me to take you seriously... okay, talk."

"I lied to you, Luke. I didn't tell you about Christopher… until afterward, but I should have told you beforehand. And I didn't talk to you about April. I just went to see Anna, without your permission. I screwed up."

"Lorelai, we both screwed up, we've moved on," Luke interrupted.

"What happens if someday, we're married, hypothetically, and I have a problem… or if I'm upset with you about something? Are we always going to clam up and pretend everything's fine? Are we going to keep secrets from each other anymore?"

"No, I think we've learned from that mistake," Luke replied, raising his eyebrows in surprise at how concerned Lorelai was.

"You have a kid, Luke. And you didn't tell me… I know you only knew for so long, but I should have known as soon as you knew!"

Luke put his hand on Lorelai's knee. He tried to comfort her, but he didn't know what to say. They were both at fault. They were both wrong, and stupid, and selfish, in a way. There was no use in blaming anyone, because that would just start another fight.

"I know. I'm sorry for that. How can we fix this stuff? You know, we both lied, we both kept secrets… it's not going to be simple. But I want it fixed, Lorelai."

Lorelai sighed. "I do, too, Luke. But it's not that simple. You are a part of April's life, and I want to be a part of her life, too. Are you going to keep me out of that?"

Luke shook his head. "No, Lorelai. It's going to be different. I have a relationship with April now, and it's not like I'm defending what I did before or anything. I know I was wrong, and April is going to get to know you. And I promise not to keep things from you anymore."

"I seem to recall a 'no secrets' promise we both made and we both broke," Lorelai insisted.

"Well, how am I going to get you to believe me, that I'm done with this keeping things from you..."

"Luke, you're not the only one who messed up here. I did, too. And now I have to deal with Christopher, he's Rory's father… my now ex-husband. God, I was pretty stupid."

"I have Anna to deal with, too. She's April's mother… that's baggage just like you have."

"How do we fix this?" Lorelai asked, putting her head in her hands.

"Well, for one thing, I know I promise that I tell you absolutely everything. I'll tell you what my bread supplier wore this morning, if you want to know."

Lorelai cracked a smile. "That's a little too much information."

"Well, about Anna and April, I mean."

"And I'll do the same about Christopher," Lorelai offered.

"Should I make a contract, and sign it in blood?"

Lorelai shook her head. "No, that would hurt… and besides, I think maybe it's better if we work on being able to trust each other again. We don't need bodily fluids to prove our honesty."

"Good point," Luke agreed.

"One step at a time, though. I think we both have work to do. You know, to gain the other's trust back."

"I agree," Luke replied.

As Luke and Lorelai continued their discussion on the couch, the doorbell rang.

"Were you expecting someone?" Luke asked.

"No, I wasn't. I wonder who that is," she said.

Lorelai got up to answer the door, and there stood Emily Gilmore.


	12. Whatever Luke Wants

"Mom… what are you doing here?" Lorelai questioned.

"Well, I am your mother, Lorelai, do I not have the right to see my daughter if I so choose?"

Lorelai sighed. She wished that somehow Emily's rights could be taken away, especially at times like these. "Well, Mom, it's not really a good time right now…"

"It's never a convenient time for you, Lorelai," Emily interrupted. "You always push me out of your life and you only want to see me when you need something. Suddenly, it's convenient."

"Mom, that's…"

"Are you going to invite me in, Lorelai, or should I stand out here and be shunned by my own flesh and blood?"

Lorelai sighed, and opened the door wider. Emily always had a way of making Lorelai feel guilty, and somehow, Lorelai just couldn't avoid it. Sometimes, scratch that, most of the time, she was extremely dramatic, and Lorelai just couldn't stand it. This was one of those times. She knew Emily would have a fit when she saw who was sitting on her couch, and she knew she wouldn't hear the end of it for a long, long time. But she let Emily in anyway.

"Thank you, Lorelai, how hospitable of you," Emily said sarcastically as she made her way through the door.

Lorelai sent an apologetic glance in Luke's direction. Luke's face turned from one of curiosity to one of frustration. Lorelai had to distract Emily. She wasn't about to lose Luke after so much progress. She searched for a diversion as Luke tried to act as normal as possible.

"Uh, Mom, why don't you have a seat in the kitchen, we can talk there. Can I get you anything to drink?"

It was too late. Emily shot a disapproving stare at Luke. The tension in the room was unbearable, and it was obvious that Luke was extremely uncomfortable.

"What is the diner man doing here? What gives him the right to be here? Lorelai Gilmore, I demand to know what's going on."

"Mrs. Gilmore…" Luke started, standing up and walking toward Emily.

"Excuse me, but I believe the question was directed to my daughter. Lorelai, what is going on?"

Lorelai giggled nervously. "Well, uh, Mom, he has a name, and it's Luke Danes. And… why don't we all have a seat in the kitchen, and we can all have a nice little chat, okay?"

Emily grabbed Lorelai's arm, stopping her from entering the kitchen. Her angry eyes remained on Luke the entire time.

"Ow! Mom!" Lorelai shrieked as she rubbed the injured area.

"Lorelai, are you aware that your relationship with Christopher has just ended?" Emily questioned.

Lorelai sighed. "Yes, Mom, I believe I signed and dated the necessary paperwork to make that official," she replied.

Luke tried again to calm Emily down. "Look, why don't we all go into the kitchen and we can explain what is going on. I'm sure Lorelai…"

"You're sure Lorelai what? If you were sure about anything regarding my daughter, you certainly wouldn't have treated her with such disrespect in the final few days of your relationship!"

Lorelai could tell Luke was getting angry. She debated separating the two, but she knew she eventually had to stand up to her mother.

"Mom! Look, it takes two people to have a disagreement in a relationship, and Luke and I are trying to patch things up, so we can be civil again…"

"Well, obviously things are civil enough for him to be sitting on your couch canoodling!" Emily shouted.

"Mrs. Gilmore, I don't think you're being fair to me or to Lorelai right now. Nothing funny is going on here, and…"

Lorelai put her hand on Luke's arm, trying to give him a sign that she was okay. But he wanted to defend her. It was frustrating, watching Emily tear Lorelai's attempt at calm reasoning apart.

"If you think I'm not being fair, I think you should go take a look in the mirror, diner boy!" Emily shot back.

"That's enough! Mom, I can't have you insulting Luke like this, I really do not appreciate it. He doesn't deserve this treatment, and frankly, neither do I. Now I'd really love it if you told me why you came here, so we can attend to business and go our separate ways," Lorelai insisted.

"Lorelai Gilmore, that is no way to speak to your mother. If you choose to set your standards so low, and to rush into a relationship doomed from the start, that's fine with me. Goodbye, Lorelai. We can discuss whatever we need to at Friday night dinner, as now is obviously so inconvenient for you," Emily huffed. She turned around and walked out the door.

Lorelai and Luke breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief and made their way into the living room once again. The silence was becoming awkward, but they both took it in for a few moments. It was good to have a peaceful moment, after what they just went through.

"I am so, so, so sorry Luke. I had no idea she was coming, and I didn't expect her to say those things, obviously," Lorelai apologized.

"It's not your fault, Lorelai, it's just… I hate that woman with a burning passion," Luke started.

"Burn, baby, burn! Luke rant… go!"

"She's evil, she's manipulative, a perfectionist, a drama queen, and any other negative word in the dictionary. Just the name… Emily Gilmore. Ugh, it just gives me the creeps when I hear it!"

"Yeah, imagine spending your early years being shaped by this woman," Lorelai added.

"Must have been a disaster. I mean, I'm a grown man, Lorelai, and I am somewhat intimidated by what she thinks… is that wrong?"

Lorelai tried to hold back laughter. "Uh, a little bit. I don't care what she thinks of me, and I just try to let it roll off. Sometimes, it works better than other times. You want something to eat?"

Luke grunted. "And the thing is… she comes up with all these arguments as to why I'm scum, and it's so hard to fight back! I'm not witty like you are. How do I defend myself?"

"Well, Luke, I don't really know what to say…"

"I mean, Jeez! I'm an adult, with free will, and I can do whatever the heck I want!"

"You go, Luke!" Lorelai pumped her fist.

"I can go out whenever I want, I can have a beer if I want to, I can take a day off of the diner if I feel like it. I can even do this if I want to!"

Luke leaned in and kissed Lorelai.


	13. May the Force Be With You

Lorelai stood staring at Luke, shocked that he actually kissed her. Luke awkwardly stared back, surprised that his rant had taken him that far.

"We just kissed," Lorelai said, breaking the silence.

"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?" Luke asked, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Lorelai paused for a moment. Inside, she was jumping for joy. It was the moment she had been waiting for since her and Luke had first reconciled. She smiled and gently put her hand on Luke's arm.

"It's a very, very good thing," she finally replied.

"Really? Because if you aren't sure…"

Lorelai interrupted Luke with a kiss she had been waiting to give him since she saw the menu face up in the memory box.

"Well, you're positive, aren't you?" Luke asked.

Lorelai nodded. "So, so very positive."

Luke breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Me too."

"I'm sorry about my mother. I really didn't know she was going to be that cruel," Lorelai offered.

"It's okay. It's something I have to deal with, for your sake. I mean, since we… you know, kissed and everything."

"You should get a medal for it, Luke. Emily Gilmore is the most annoying person I've ever met."

Luke grunted. "Have you met Kirk? Taylor Doose? TJ?"

"Okay, annoying may not be the proper word… I believe in your rant you used a lot of synonyms for 'evil'."

Luke nodded. "That I did."

"So, what do we tell everyone?" Lorelai asked.

"What do you think we should tell everyone?"

Lorelai took Luke's hand and led him to the couch. "That's a good question. First, who should we go flaunt it in front of?"

Luke put his arm around Lorelai. "I've never been a guy to flaunt anything. Informing Rory and possibly some others, a select few, may be the right way to go at first. Then, if anyone else gets word, we tell the truth."

Lorelai flashed an evil smile. "Are you sure you don't want to submit to my devilish plan? Just once?"

"What is your devilish plan, Lorelai?"

"Come on, do you have to know? Can't I just run with it and tell you what I did after the fact?"

"I know better than to do that. Remember the time where you rearranged the numbers of all the tables in the diner?"

Lorelai giggled. "That was funny."

"Or the time you begged me to let you throw me a birthday party?"

Lorelai's jaw dropped. "That was a fun party, you have to admit it!"

"Lorelai, do you even remember how much you tortured me that day? Do you even recall what went on that day?"

"Why, yes, I do!"

"_Happy almost birthday, Luke!" Lorelai called as she entered the diner._

"_I don't have a birthday anymore. We just skip over the day, pretending it never existed," Luke replied sarcastically._

"_Why doesn't anyone ever celebrate your birthday, Luke?" Rory asked._

"_Because I hate celebrating," Luke insisted._

"_Let us throw you a party! Pleeease, Luke! It will be the best birthday party ever!" Lorelai pouted._

"_And I'll try to keep her in line! I'll make sure it's only the three of us!" Rory swore._

_Luke rolled his eyes. When the Gilmore Girls were sitting at the counter of the diner, begging and pleading to throw him a birthday party, there was always something wrong. It was already against his better judgement to let Lorelai and Rory plead with him. He should have stopped the conversation before it started. But something in Lorelai's eyes made him crumble. He wasn't supposed to, but he did anyway._

"_Fine. You can go up to my apartment, decorate it if you wish, but no pink streamers or balloons."_

_Lorelai gave Rory a high five, and the two were off to the party store to plan Luke's birthday._

"_Should we do a Hawaiian theme?" Lorelai asked. "I could wear a grass skirt, and a lei, and I can wear a coconut bra!"_

_Rory made a face. "Mmm-mm. Not a smart idea. How about a Star Wars party? We can dress up, and everything!"_

_Lorelai's eyes widened in approval. "Can I pleeeaaase be Darth Vader?"_

_Rory nodded. "As long as I'm not Yoda, I can manage."_

_They traveled all around Hartford and the surrounding area before they found everything they needed to throw Luke the ultimate Star Wars party. _

"_What are you doing?" Luke asked as he saw the girls carrying what seemed like an infinite amount of bags._

"_Decorating," Lorelai answered simply as she made her way upstairs._

_Luke rolled his eyes as he wiped down the counter. He was scared to see how his apartment would look after leaving Rory and Lorelai in charge of the decorations. He anxiously checked the clock, dreading the moment when the diner was to close. Luke locked the door, took a deep breath, and slowly walked upstairs._

"_Luuuukkkkeee!" an eerie voice called out._

"_Lorelai, I'm not scared of you. Halloween has already passed…" _

_Luke nearly fell over when he saw Darth Vader emerge into the hallway._

"_Luuuukkkkeee! I am your faaaatherrrrrr!"_

"_Jeez! What the… Lorelai, is that you?"_

_Lorelai grinned as she removed her mask. "Yeah, how did I do? I'm not exactly James Earl Jones…"_

"_Don't… ever… scare… me… like… that… again." Luke grunted._

"_I told you, Mom! Sorry, Luke, happy birthday! Come on in, see what we did for you!" Rory said, peeking out into the hallway._

"_And you are Princess Leia, I assume?" Luke asked._

"_Yes, I am. It took me three hours to get my hair to stay like this."_

"_And about 400 bobby pins!" Lorelai added._

_Luke looked around his apartment. There were life-size carboard cutouts of each of the characters from the movies, including Yoda and Jar-Jar Binks. The room was dark, with a few white spotlights scattered enough so people could walk around. A banner that read "May the Force Be With You, Luke" was attached to his cabinets._

"_What do you think?" Rory asked, beaming with pride. "It was my idea."_

_Luke was speechless. "Wow," he said._

"_I think he likes it, Rory," Lorelai said, elbowing her daughter in the ribs._

"That was so much fun! And the look on your face when you saw me come out… I wish I had a camera!"

"You two are crazy."

"But you still kiss me, even though I'm crazy?" Lorelai pretended to faint dramatically.

"I love you, Crazy Lady. I have to get back to the diner," Luke said, leaning to kiss Lorelai.

"I love you, too, Luke."

Lorelai escorted Luke to the door and when he was gone, she ran to the phone to call Rory.

"Hello?" Rory answered.

"Do you feel like doing something for your Mommy tonight? I'm not allowed to, and I really, really want to put this plan into motion."

"Plan? What plan?" Rory questioned.

"You free tonight?"

"Yes…" Rory hesitated.

"Good. Come over, and we'll discuss the plan."

Lorelai hung up the phone, leaving Rory in suspense. What could Lorelai possibly have planned? Rory got in her car, curious to see what would transpire, and drove to Stars Hollow.

**A/N: This chapter is lovingly dedicated to EmeraldCalling. Because of her never-ending love for Star Wars, and because she reads my fics.**


	14. Purple Ribbons

Lorelai and Rory stood on the front porch the next morning, admiring their work.

"We did a nice job, don't you agree?" Lorelai asked, leaning against the porch rail.

Rory nodded. "We are very skilled artists. I like how the town looks. It seems right, it's festive, and Taylor can only impose the minimum fine for vandalism as stated in the town laws."

"Another plus to this shenanigan."

"Shall we go and see how the rest of the town reacts?"

Lorelai grinned. "Of course," she said, holding out her arm for Rory to take.

The Gilmore Girls began the walk to the town square. Lorelai's big plan had taken up most of the night, but the result was exactly what she had hoped for. Stars Hollow was now plastered with purple ribbons. Every mailbox, store window, and light pole Rory and Lorelai could get to before sunrise donned a decorative announcement of Luke and Lorelai's reunion. Townies with their mouths gaping questioned what the ribbons meant as Lorelai and Rory approached the diner.

"Lorelai, Rory, do you know what these ribbons mean? Everyone's been trying to figure it out all morning, no one has a clue," Miss Patty said, inspecting the ribbon on Luke's window.

"No one has any idea?" Rory questioned.

Miss Patty shook her head. "Taylor's already formed a committee to investigate. He's really angry."

"Not as angry as Luke is, sugah," Babette added, pointing at the window to draw attention to an enraged Luke.

"This is funny," Lorelai said, giggling.

"What is going on here?" Luke questioned angrily as he ripped the ribbon off of the diner window, crumpling it in his hand.

"Didn't you see the town has been painted purple? We're trying to figure out what it means," Babette said.

"I think it's a gang," Kirk added.

"Did anyone ask you, Kirk?" Luke asked, putting his hands on his hips.

Kirk shrugged. "Well, your question wasn't addressed to anyone specifically…"

"It's not a gang, Kirk," Rory interrupted.

"Well then, who else could have done this?" Kirk wondered aloud.

"Anyone could have done this, Kirk. All someone needs to do is grab a pair of scissors, tape and cut some ribbon, and we have a sea of purple, drowning Stars Hollow," Luke interjected.

"Aw, Luke, don't be so morbid. I kind of like the decorations, it adds a little flavor," Lorelai offered.

"This town has too much flavor," Luke replied, making his way back inside.

Rory and Lorelai followed Luke, amused that no one had found out the significance of the purple ribbons.

"Luke, come on, I think it looks pretty outside." Lorelai seated herself at the counter.

Luke leaned in and craned his neck in both directions, making sure no one was close enough to hear what he was going to say. "You did this, didn't you?" he asked.

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, how'd you guess?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Lorelai, it's obvious. The rest of the town just hasn't comprehended it yet. It's clearly a mix of the pink and blue ribbons given out by Taylor when we had our first breakup."

"Are you going to tell them we did it? Would you rat us out, Luke Danes?" Lorelai gasped.

Luke shook his head. "No, I'm not going to tell. It would be far more amusing to see you admit to it. Then, I'd get to watch Taylor yell at you. That would make my day."

"Are you planning on confessing, Mom?" Rory asked.

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, what the heck. You said it yourself, as mad as Taylor is, he can only impose the minimum fine. And besides, it would give me a chance to formally announce the reunion of Luke and Lorelai!"

"You're a crazy woman," Luke said, pouring Lorelai a cup of coffee.

Three cups of coffee, two stacks of pancakes, and a danish later, the girls headed out to the gazebo, the most decorated site of them all. They giggled and pointed as Taylor flailed his arms wildly. He was definitely taking his anger out on Kirk, who held a trash bag in his right hand, prepared to clean up the ribbons.

"Taylor!" Lorelai called.

"Lorelai, Rory, hello. I just wanted to let you know that there will be a town meeting at eleven to discuss the vandalism that took place last night. We plan on questioning some key individuals, so if you would please be present to offer any information…"

"Uh, excuse me, Taylor?" Lorelai said.

"Yes?"

"I know who put up the ribbons," she replied.

"Excellent. Bring your tips to the town meeting and we will make a public accusation. See you there," Taylor answered, dismissing Lorelai's offer for help as he walked away.

"That was mean," Rory said, folding her arms as Taylor walked away.

"That's okay. You know your mother, she'll take as public an announcement as possible," Lorelai said, putting her arm around Rory.

"Yeah, but the suspense… I really don't want to wait for the big announcement!" Rory whined.

Lorelai shrugged. "Yeah, we all have to do things we don't want to, like go to dinner Friday night."

"Ooh, I forgot about that."

"Yeah, Emily has basically been stalking me these past few days. First she called me and asked me if you and I would be attending, and then she came over for some reason or another, when Luke and I were sitting on the couch talking."

Rory gasped. "She saw Luke in the house? Did her head pop off?"

"Nearly. She yelled, and dropped insults like they were hot."

"She was Snoop Dogg?"

"No, she just shouted mean things to Luke. And she made Luke really, really, upset. He ranted for awhile before we kissed."

"I wonder what she wanted," Rory mused.

"We'll find out soon enough. But what do we do until the town meeting?"

Rory shrugged. "We could go home and watch a movie."

"Nah, it's too early, and we only have an hour. We could go torture Luke," Lorelai offered.

"Then his head would pop off," Rory teased, giggling.

"Well, I guess we'll spend an hour admiring our work before it gets taken down, then." Lorelai sat down on the steps of the gazebo, patting the empty place where she wanted Rory to sit. When Rory obliged, Lorelai turned to face her daughter.

"Thanks again for the help, I'm glad you decided to be a vandal with me for a day," Lorelai said.

Rory nodded. "No problem. I'm just glad you two worked things out seriously. And it's not that bad, being a rebel once in awhile."

The girls sat and talked until they saw the rest of the town start to trickle into the meeting. They arrived somewhat early, just in time to get a prime seat, far enough from the front to mock and make faces, but close enough to be a part of the action.

"May I have everyone's attention please?" Taylor pleaded, banging the gavel.

The mocking commenced early, with the start of the meeting. Rory banged an invisible gavel while Lorelai made her hands talk to each other, puppet style.

"As you already know, our pristine, beautiful, spotless town was defaced last night by vandals," Taylor started.

Lorelai's hands continued their conversation as Rory's gavel hit them on the head.

"This is a very serious matter. We pride ourselves on the appearance of the town, and the vandalism is an insult to the hardworking people of Stars Hollow."

Lorelai gasped in mock surprise, putting her hand over her heart. "Who could ever do such a terrible thing?"

"…so if anyone has some information about the subject, please offer it now," Taylor continued.

"This seat taken?"

Lorelai whipped her head around to see Luke, pointing to the chair next to her. She did her best Vanna White, displaying the chair as Luke took a seat.

"What's going on?" he whispered.

"Oh, well, nothing yet, he's just started blabbering about how it's disrespectful to the people of Stars Hollow, that someone would even think of doing this, and he wants everyone to spill their guts."

"Spill their guts?"

"Yeah, you know, snitch, brown-nose, you get the picture."

Luke nodded. "I see."

"Thank you, Jackson. I appreciate the input. Lorelai, you had something to add, didn't you?" Taylor asked.

"Are you sure you want to admit to this?" Luke asked.

Lorelai nodded. She squeezed her way to the end of the row and walked up the aisle to the podium.

"What do you know, Lorelai?" Taylor pressed.

Lorelai took a deep breath. "I put up the ribbons."


	15. Town Meeting

"You what? Lorelai Gilmore, what do you have to say for yourself?" Taylor inquired.

"I put the ribbons up all over town. If you'd let me explain…"

"I know exactly what the ribbons were for," Miss Patty said.

The room grew silent, most likely from confusion. Lorelai stood in front of the crowd, just waiting to explain herself and get it over with, so she could enjoy being back together with Luke. But Stars Hollow was not a town that could have a simple solution to anything.

Miss Patty continued. "Do you remember when we all wore pink or blue ribbons in support of either Luke or Lorelai when they first broke up? Well, what color does pink and blue make when they're mixed together?"

The citizens of Stars Hollow's metaphorical light bulbs all switched on simultaneously. "So that means that Luke and Lorelai are back together now?" Kirk questioned.

"And does that mean I can take the purple ribbon off of my window without being charged with evidence tampering?" Gypsy added.

"Yes, Luke and I are back together," Lorelai confirmed.

"Uh oh, she said it out loud," Luke groaned.

"Watch out, Luke, here comes Babette," Rory warned.

The townies were overjoyed that their golden couple was together again. Luke and Lorelai were smothered with hugs, congratulations, and questions of what was to come.

"So does this mean that June 3rd is still… you know, June 3rd?" Babette asked Luke, nudging him and winking.

Rory whipped her head around when she heard Babette's question. "Yeah, Luke, what about June 3rd?" she asked.

Luke sighed. "That's something Lorelai and I have yet to discuss. Obviously June 3rd has already passed for this year," he started.

"CLEAR YOUR CALENDARS FOR JUNE THIRD!" Babette shouted.

"We're clearing our calendars for June 3rd?" Lorelai asked herself, trying to find Luke in the mess of townspeople at the meeting. She stumbled down the walkway, tripping over people's feet and being shoved in the opposite direction by the mob of people. She could see Luke and Rory, but getting to them would not be simple.

"Attention! Attention everyone!" Taylor's voice projected from a megaphone. "This meeting has not yet been adjourned, and we need to fix this problem using the unbiased book of the Laws of Stars Hollow! Lorelai, please come back to the podium!"

The townspeople groaned. They made their way back to their seats, reluctant to sit through the formalities Taylor was obsessed with.

Luke refused to sit through another one of Taylor's vandalism speeches. He had seen and heard about enough. Luke stood up and added his two cents.

"Taylor, this has to be the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Look, Lorelai and I are back together. It was a statement she felt she needed to make to the town in a not so subtle way. But would Lorelai Gilmore do it any other way? I'm sure she would be glad to take down the purple ribbons from all the establishments, and the gazebo, and everywhere else. Jeez, just give her a break!"

"Luke, you are talking out of turn, and I am shocked you did not stop her from doing such a terrible act. That puts you, as well as Rory, up for charges of harboring a criminal," Taylor said simply.

"Well, then, I suggest we take a vote. You pride yourself on a town that is a functioning democracy, don't you?" Luke shot back.

Taylor was speechless, and it was a shock to Luke as well as the rest of the room. It was impossible to argue with Luke's point. Taylor finally sighed and conceded to Luke's proposal. "All in favor of dropping the charges against Lorelai and Rory Gilmore as well as Luke Danes, please raise your hands."

Everyone who attended the meeting raised their hands in approval. "Well, then, I suppose it's unanimous. Lorelai, Luke, Rory, you are free to go so long as the ribbons are removed by this time tomorrow. Meeting adjourned," Taylor said, banging the gavel.

"Wow, Luke, you were great! That was a really good argument," Rory said, staying behind to allow the crowd to file out.

Luke shrugged. "I'd been waiting my entire life to call Taylor out on something, it just happened to be today," he replied.

"Luke! That had to have been the best rant I've heard since the one that made you kiss me," Lorelai said.

"It was nothing."

"Try all of the years of frustration from Taylor Doose bottled up inside, just waiting to explode!" Rory interjected.

"Ooh, it's like a soda that comes out of the vending machine, and the person who buys it opens it too soon… there's a sticky mess of soda everywhere. On the clothes, on the floor, on the hands…" Lorelai started.

"Sometimes, it gets in the hair, too," Rory added.

"Are we speaking from experience?" Luke questioned.

Lorelai shrugged. "From the age of about seven, on a dare, possibly."

"The age of seven? Mom, what about the vending machine at Yale, during my freshman year? Any of that ring a bell?"

Lorelai gasped. "And you swore never to tell! I can't believe it!"

"So you are speaking from experience," Luke said. "That's funny."

"Well, you know what's funny is you… when the… Gah, I can't think of a comeback, what is wrong with me?" Lorelai said, frustrated.

"Are you worried about Friday night dinner tonight? Maybe that's why, and after dinner Stella will get her groove back." Rory suggested.

"Oh, no! It's Friday! Now I have to deal with the aftermath of the other day!"

"You have to see Emily Gilmore tonight? Too bad for you," Luke interjected.

"Oh, no mister, you are not getting out of dinner tonight, by any stretch of the imagination. You're coming with us," Lorelai insisted.

"What? Emily's going to eat me alive again?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yes, she'll have you as a dessert when she's finished with me. Does that make you feel any better?"

"And besides, Luke, Grandpa is usually the 'voice of reason' in the middle of everything. He's pretty non-confrontational, unless provoked. Just don't insult golf, or him, or his company… or Grandma… and I think you'll be fine," Rory added.

"Rory's right, my friend. Meet you at our house at six?" Lorelai asked, planting a kiss on Luke's cheek. She didn't wait for an answer before saying goodbye and walking out.

"Aw, Jeez," Luke said to himself. It was going to be one long Friday night.


	16. Friday Night Dinner

As much as Luke hated the fact that he had to attend Friday night dinner at the Gilmore residence, he had no choice in the matter. He pondered the thought as he stood next to Kirk's table, trying not to explode at him for taking an eternity with his order.

If he could contain himself around Kirk, wouldn't he be able to walk out of the Gilmore mansion with his pride still in tact? After all, the pressure wouldn't be just on him, it would be on Lorelai, too. And if he felt himself needing to go on a rant, he could rant. It was about time he defended himself, anyway.

"Come on, Kirk, I have about ten more minutes to be here before I need to leave. And if you don't have your order in by that time, you won't get anything cut in special shapes."

"You know, Luke? Mother says patience is a virtue."

"Well, I guess it's a virtue I haven't acquired quite yet. Nine minutes now."

Despite the fact that Friday night dinner would be an absolute disaster, Luke knew he had to do it for Lorelai. It wouldn't be the first time that he attended a Friday night dinner at the Gilmore mansion, and it wouldn't be the last. When he and Lorelai were married, he'd be stuck with Richard and Emily forever.

"Well, Luke, I think I'll have a cheeseburger. No onion, please. And cut the crust off."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Kirk, there is no crust on a cheeseburger. The bun and the burger are both round. Eight minutes."

As Kirk took another look at the menu, Luke returned to his original train of thought. _When_ he and Lorelai got married. It would finally happen, after everything they had been through. They weren't exactly in that point in their relationship, but it was something to look forward to.

"I think I'll stick with my original order. A cheeseburger, no onion. Don't worry about the crust, I'll handle the crust," Kirk insisted.

"All right, Kirk. One cheeseburger, no onion."

Luke put in Kirk's order and left Caesar in charge. It was time to face Emily and Richard Gilmore. Luke took a quick shower and found an appropriate outfit to wear to avoid being picked on for his clothes.

He rang the doorbell to Lorelai's house and Rory answered the door.

"Hi, Luke. Come on in. We're almost ready to leave. Have a seat," Rory said, opening the door so Luke could come inside.

"Hi Luke!" Lorelai called from upstairs.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Almost as in five minutes, or almost as in forty-five?" he asked.

Rory shrugged. "I'll be ready in five minutes, but I'm not so sure about Mom. I'll get her going."

As far as Luke was concerned, the two could take the rest of the night to get ready. Maybe there was some way he could get out of dinner at the Gilmores. His hopes quickly faded as the girls came downstairs.

Lorelai growled at Luke as she walked downstairs. He rolled his eyes and sighed. It was going to be a long night.

"I'll translate. That meant, 'You look nice, tonight, Luke,'" Rory offered.

"Thanks, for the translation. Last time I checked I didn't speak tiger," Luke replied.

"Did you just call me a tiger?" Lorelai asked, laughing as she tried to strap her shoe on her left foot.

"No, it was the growl that I was associating with a tiger… you're not going to think any differently even if I tried to explain myself, would you?" Luke sighed.

"Nope. Sorry. Thanks for playing. But we have a lovely parting gift for you, tell him what it is, Rory!" Lorelai mocked a game show host as she put on her jacket.

"Well, Luke receives an all inclusive Friday night dinner at the residence of Emily and Richard Gilmore! Complete with mockery, insults, and awkward silences, this experience is one to treasure forever! Dinner is brought to you by Rory and Lorelai Gilmore, your chauffeurs and entertainment chairwomen for the night!" Rory responded.

"Here we go," Luke said, rolling his eyes.

The ride to the Gilmores was painfully long. Just like the day Luke had to endure leading up to the Friday Night Dinner. Emily Gilmore had some sort of power, some uncanny ability to make a day extremely miserable.

Rory and Lorelai got out of the car somewhat reluctantly, but it took a lot more coaxing to get Luke to budge.

"Come on, Luke, don't you want to come in and protect you damsel in distress?" Lorelai asked, putting her hand over her forehead in a mock faint.

"Last time I checked, I'm not wearing armor, nor am I in possession of a horse," Luke replied dryly.

"Luke. Listen. You can go in there and show Grandma, or Grandpa, or whoever the heck you want to show that you're not going to let them beat you. Think of it that way," Rory suggested.

"Be a man, Luke!" Lorelai said, flexing her muscles.

Luke stepped out of the car. "Last time I checked, I didn't have to be dragged to Friday Night Dinner to be a man," he groaned.

Rory rang the doorbell and the maid answered.

"Hi, you must be the new maid, I'm Lorelai, and this is Rory, that's Luke. We're here for Friday Night Dinner," Lorelai said.

"I was here last week," the maid answered softly, opening the door.

"Well, it was just a week too early, Mom," Rory whispered as she followed Lorelai.

Luke gave his coat to the maid and was seated in the living room. Emily came in shortly after.

"Hello, Lorelai, Rory. What are you doing here?" Emily snapped.

"I'm here… for dinner," Luke said.

"Were you invited?" Emily asked coldly.

"By Lorelai, yes, I was."

"Fair enough. I don't have the energy or the time to waste debating with a diner man like you."

"Mom, can we please be civil tonight? Rory's here. See her cute, adorable face? She got all dressed up to come and visit with you, and she wasn't intending to see you argue with Luke all night. Or me, for that matter. Where's Dad?" Lorelai said, quickly.

"Your father is in Rome for the week. He's trying to pick up a new client, I suppose."

"Oh, Rome! He's so lucky, I love Rome!" Rory gushed.

"Yes, Rome is beautiful, but I'm sure he's not seeing much of anything, being so occupied with clients and such. He's a very busy and successful man," Emily replied.

Luke rolled his eyes, and shot Lorelai a look. Lorelai returned the look with one of sympathy. She was going to try to get her mother to accept the fact that her and Luke were together again. But that was another catch… Emily didn't know yet.

"Mom, uh, so what brought you to Stars Hollow the other day?"

Emily sighed. "Well, I was looking to find some antiques, and I had remembered that you had a charming little antique shop in town. Nothing more."

"Oh," Lorelai replied.

After many awkward pauses, comments about Rory's successful years at Yale, and Lorelai's inn, dinner was served. Luke wasn't one for duck, but he ate it without complaint. He was the bigger man.

"I half expect our little friend on this plate to get up and quack," Lorelai said.

"Or dance," Rory added.

"Aw, Jeez," Luke sighed.

"Does our friend have a name?" Rory inquired.

"Donald," Lorelai said, pointing her fork at her plate.

"How original," Luke said under his breath.

"Hey, at least he isn't named Daffy," Lorelai shot back.

"Lorelai, eat your food and, please, do not name it. It is immature. The duck is already dead, it just has to be eaten. And no, Rory, the duck will not get up and dance the samba in front of you," Emily added.

"Well, I was hoping for the Chicken Dance, but maybe he was a sophisticated duck," Lorelai said.

"Lorelai," Emily warned.

Lorelai and Rory were silent for the rest of the evening. Even through dessert, which Luke was again forced to eat to avoid a tongue lashing from Emily, not a word was uttered by a Gilmore.

The good byes were said, and Luke, Rory, and Lorelai made their way back to Stars Hollow.

"You survived, Luke! Thank you for doing this," Lorelai said.

Luke sighed. "Can I get out of a few dinners, occasionally?"

Rory nodded. "We'll come up with something, are you prone to strep throat?"

"I don't ever think I've seen Luke sick a day in his life," Lorelai replied.

"We'll think of excuses as they come," Rory suggested.

Rory went inside and left her mother and Luke to talk outside.

"Are you really going to go to their house every Friday night until the end of time?" Luke asked, sitting down on the step.

"Well, yeah, but it's funny, I don't mind it as much when you're there with me," Lorelai said, taking his hand.

"Because I'm equally getting tortured?" Luke asked.

Lorelai shook her head. "Because when I'm with you, I feel more confident, more like myself, more able to cope with… I don't know, life in general," she said.

Luke kissed her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"You know what? I really miss spending time with you. We should spend more time together," he said.

"That sounds like an amazing idea. I'm really liking that thought," Lorelai said, leaning her head on Luke's shoulder.

"Me too," Luke said.

The two sat on the steps of the porch until Luke finally left to get some sleep for an early delivery. But the night they spent together, however tedious, or frustrating, or scary, was the foundation for more amazing, wonderful, and memorable moments.


	17. Cootie Catcher

The next morning, as Luke served the breakfast rush, he thought about the Friday night dinner he endured with Lorelai and Rory. "I should have stood up to Emily, told her what was going to happen," Luke thought to himself. "Next Friday, that's what I'll do."

He hoped that was what he would do, anyway. Every time someone gets on his nerves in Stars Hollow, he could stand up to them like it was effortless. But somehow Emily Gilmore was more difficult to defend himself against.

Just as he began thinking about what to attempt to say to Emily, the diner door opened. "Pick a color," Luke heard Rory say from the door.

"Red," Lorelai replied.

Luke came out from the kitchen and crossed his arms. "What is going on here?" he asked.

"Oh, hi, Luke. We're asking the Cootie Catcher if we can eat here today," Rory explained.

Luke rolled his eyes. What was a Cootie Catcher? All he could picture was some sort of fly swatter, or a bug repellent of one variety or another. Lorelai caught Luke's confused expression and decided to explain.

"You see, Luke, a cootie catcher is a folded up piece of paper that consists of four colors, eight numbers, and eight answers or phrases. This one has answers. So, it's like a Magic 8 ball. I ask a question, then pick a color, two numbers, and then Rory here lifts up a flap, and ta-da! We have an answer."

Luke stared blankly at Lorelai, who giggled at her boyfriend's confusion regarding such a simple piece of origami.

"He might need a demonstration. R-E-D. Pick a number. 2,7,6, or 8?" Rory asked.

Lorelai tapped her cheek, thinking of the best number to choose. "Seven," she decided.

Rory opened the folded paper seven times, holding out the rest of the numbers for Lorelai to see. "1,3,5, or 4?"

"Four. Definitely four. And it better be a "yes," because I am really hungry. And if the cootie catcher says no, I'll have to try Weston's, and Al's, and then if it says no to that, I'll have to ask it if I can eat at all…"

"MOM!" Rory interrupted. "It says yes."

Lorelai breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew. All right, Luke, coffee, please," she said, seating herself at the nearest table.

Luke gave Lorelai a confused look. "Remind me why you two have decided to put the fate of your day in the control of a piece of paper?"

"No, it's just Mom who has decided to do all that the Cootie Catcher says today. Not me. I wouldn't be that crazy," Rory teased.

Lorelai pouted. "Don't insult my friend Carl the Cootie Catcher!"

"You named a piece of paper?" Luke asked, rolling his eyes.

"Yes, and he's insulted by the fact that you debase him so," Lorelai said, gently stroking the piece of origami.

Luke placed two cups of coffee on the counter. "Well, the coffee is waiting for you when you decide to rise above the influence of a Magic Eight Ball-esque object," Luke tried to tempt Lorelai.

Lorelai pouted. She slouched a little, moaning and reaching, from her spot, for the coffee. "What does Carl say?" she asked, closing her eyes and holding her fists close to her chest in agony.

"Go have a sip of coffee, he says yes," Rory answered.

Lorelai ran to the counter, nearly knocking Kirk over on her way. She practically gulped the coffee down like there was a shortage. She breathed a sigh of relief as she smiled and held out the empty cup for Luke to fill.

Luke gave the same expression throughout the whole ordeal. It was one of mixed emotions, of confusion, shock, and disgust.

"That was my first cup all day," Lorelai said, tilting her head to the side, trying to charm Luke into giving her another cup. "Carl has finally decided to be good to me. I'm not consulting him ever again. Another cup, please," Lorelai insisted, pushing the mug closer and closer to the edge of the counter.

Luke grabbed the mug, obliging to Lorelai's request. He had no choice. Lorelai would never let him hear the end of it if he didn't give her the necessary caffeine to stay functioning.

"So is Carl going bye-bye?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, give him a proper sendoff and tell him to write when he gets work," Lorelai said. "So, wait a minute," she said, directing her newest fleeting thought to Luke.

"What?" Luke answered.

"You said you didn't understand why I put my fate in the folds of Carl the Cootie Catcher. Why do you put your fate in the hands of Emily Gilmore?"

Luke stood, frozen at the question. It was a good question he didn't have the answer to. Why did Emily get to control him? She couldn't do that. He kissed her, after all, and he wanted things to get better for him and Lorelai. For once, he hated to admit it, Lorelai Gilmore… was right.

"Yeah, Luke, that's a great question. Mom wants you to…"

Lorelai shot Rory the "shut up now" look. "I want you to feel welcome at the Gilmore home. Not like I even feel welcome half the time, but I want you to be accepted. I hate seeing you all upset, and frustrated. The Luke I know would really tell her off."

Luke sighed. "You're right."

Lorelai turned to Rory. Rory gasped and covered her mouth in shock as a result of the words that just came out of Luke Danes' mouth.

"Wait, wait, wait. I'm what? Can you say that again? I missed it the first time," Lorelai leaned in closer.

"You're right, Lorelai, okay?"

"Wow. I think I just heard the words 'you're right, Lorelai,' my three favorite words in the English language.

"Is 'Lorelai' an English name? Because then it would be your two favorite words in the English language…" Rory started.

"Good topic to discuss at Friday Night dinner next week. Names. Luke can jump in on that one," Lorelai insisted, smiling.

Luke turned around to get another customer's order as he tried not to explode. He had a feeling he would have to stand up to Emily without the pressure of anyone else around him. He would have to go make a visit to the Gilmores when Lorelai and Rory weren't expecting it. Then, he would say his peace and start getting the respect he deserved.

He just had to wait until Lorelai and Rory left the diner. He tried to devise a plan to get them out so that they wouldn't be suspicious, but they would leave.

"Lorelai, don't you have to be at work?" Luke asked, hinting discreetly at the fact that she needed to leave.

Lorelai glanced at her watch. "No, not quite yet. Michel surely hasn't even gotten to the inn yet. And Sookie's there, anyway."

Luke nodded. "I see. So I heard that Taylor's trying to get someone to play the queen for some new festival he was trying to invent. He was thinking about…"

"Ooh! I want to be queen! Come on, Rory, let's go beg him to let me be the queen, and you can be my princess. But then we'd need a king… come on, this is going to be great!" Lorelai said, pulling Rory by the arm and nearly running out of the diner.

Luke wiped down the counter and slipped out of the diner, unnoticed as the rush died down. He was on a mission.


	18. By Extension

**A/N: I know it's been forever since I updated this. Sorry. I have no excuse except that I am always reluctant to post something new... anyway, sorry, and read on... and review? Please?**

Luke got dressed and drove the truck to Hartford. As silly and intimidated as he was going to feel, he was doing this for Lorelai, and for the good of their relationship. He hadn't been the best of boyfriends to Lorelai as of late. He was acting as though Emily had the right to walk all over him, them, their relationship. He owed it to Lorelai to fix all of this. It wasn't fair to her.

As he drove, he tried to justify his reasons for initially letting Emily do this. He chalked it up to the intense desire for the relationship to be successful. Somehow, he figured that Emily and Richard's good side was the only side to be on if he wanted to be with Lorelai for the rest of his life. And getting on the good side meant allowing Emily to say whatever she pleased.

That was all about to change as he pulled into the driveway of the Gilmore Mansion. He took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. Luke knew he would be chastised for showing up unannounced, but he was willing to defend himself. He could stand up to Taylor, he could deal with Kirk, and he was going to deal with Emily and Richard, too.

"May I help you?" a maid with a French accent asked.

"Uh, yeah, are either of the Gilmores home?" he asked. "I'm Luke Danes, I'm their daughter's…" his voice trailed off.

"Come in Monsieur Danes, let me see if they have a moment to speak with you," she said, inviting him into the foyer.

He handed the woman his coat and looked around, feeling out of place and awkward. His heart was beating in his ears, because he hadn't exactly planned every word he was going to say. When Richard came downstairs, he took a deep breath.

"Luke, please come in. Forgive the lack of preparation, as we… truthfully, we weren't expecting company," he said, inviting him into the living room. "Emily will be down in a moment."

Luke nodded. He followed Richard into the living room.

"Would you like a drink, Luke?" Richard asked.

He shook his head. "No, thanks. I'm driving home."

"Very responsible of you, young man."

Luke shrugged. "Well, I'm a pretty responsible guy. Uh, I want to apologize for showing up unannounced. There was something I really wanted to talk to you two about, and it couldn't wait."

Emily came storming down the stairs. "Oh, it's just Luke," she said.

"Well, now, Emily, have a seat. He wants to talk to us about something," Richard insisted.

"This had better be worth it," Emily muttered, rolling her eyes.

Luke took a deep breath. "Now, no disrespect, but comments like that make me upset, Mrs. Gilmore," he said calmly.

"Excuse me?" Richard asked.

"I don't think you realize it, but with every insult you direct toward me, with every harsh word you say, it affects not only me, but Lorelai as well, by extension. We are together now, and I know that doesn't exactly make you two happy. I mean, I'm not Christopher, and I'm not some Princeton graduate with a multi-billion dollar fortune, but I make a living for myself, and I care about your daughter and your granddaughter more than I care about myself. That should be enough. Now, I don't expect you to put me on your Christmas list every year, but I would like it if you treated me as a human being."

"Luke, I don't…"

"Excuse me, Emily, let me finish, please? I'm sorry I had to show up unannounced to get this through to you guys, but I don't deserve this treatment, either. I've been allowing you guys to walk all over me since Lorelai and I got back together, and I think it's about time I stood up for myself."

"Are you finished?" Richard asked.

Luke shook his head. "Now, if you love Lorelai even the slightest bit, and I know you love her so very much, I think you should treat us like it. Would you please give the two of us a chance?"

The room was awkwardly silent. Luke looked at Emily, then at Richard. Neither one looked pleased, but then again, they didn't exactly express happiness freely. He hoped something he said got through to them. He tapped his fingers together impatiently, waiting for some sort of reply.

"Is this all you had to say, Luke?" Richard pressed.

Luke nodded. "Yes, sir."

Richard sighed. "Well, Luke, now that you've expressed your innermost thoughts, you can allow us to do the same. We want what's best for Lorelai. Now, as you and I have both seen in the past, Lorelai has an inability to judge a man's character and intentions. She is a very emotional person who tries to see the good in most everyone. Emily and I, as her parents, try to weed out who is serious about our daughter, and who isn't."

"Richard…" Emily protested.

Richard held up his hand. "No, Emily, allow me to finish, please. It seems as though you are serious about Lorelai. You've been there for Lorelai and for Rory, whenever and however it was needed, and therefore, I agree, you deserve some respect. I think it's time we take you seriously."

"What? Richard, you can't be serious! Think of what this will do for our reputation!" Emily protested.

"Our reputation is not nearly as important as the happiness of our daughter. Now, if Luke is happy, so is Lorelai, by extension. Luke mentioned that before. Therefore, because Luke is a part of Lorelai's life, we must treat him as such."

"Richard, you're rambling," Emily started. "Yes, I want Lorelai to be happy, too, but with a man who can provide for her."

"Luke has the ability to provide for her as much as she needs. It's obvious that he cares about the relationship, because he voiced his opinion to us. I respect a man that doesn't allow others to walk over him. And even though Lorelai has a slightly… well, different, view on people than we do, we must take some value in the fact that she chose you, again. Thank you, Luke, for bringing some perspective to the problem. We will be more accepting of you, right, Emily?" Richard probed.

Emily sighed. "Fine. But I expect you to show up at all of our Friday Night Dinners, and family events, things like that. You are a part of our family, after all. You have an obligation now."

Luke nodded. The trade off, to him, was worth it. He'd do anything for Lorelai at this point. "Yes, that's fine."

"Good. Well, then, if this meeting is over, I have to call one of my colleagues. Excuse me," Richard said, shaking Luke's hand. "Good to see you, Luke."

"The maid will walk you out, Luke," Emily stated plainly.

"Thank you, Mrs. Gilmore," Luke replied.

"It's Emily," she said curtly.

"Emily. Thank you, Emily," Luke said, following the maid out the door. He breathed a sigh of relief and loosened his tie. He felt so much better after all of that, but he was surprised that Richard actually took his side on the matter. He got in the truck and drove home, prepared to tell Lorelai what happened the next day.


	19. Hell Freezes Over

"You did what? You went where?" Lorelai asked the next morning, more for confirmation than anger at first.

Luke poured her more coffee, hoping that the coffee would make her less upset. "Well, I talked to your parents yesterday."

"And I hope it was about the weather, or the stock market's rise or fall..."

Luke leaned against the counter. "Look, I just told them that I love you, and I want to make things go smoothly. I told them that I want them to accept me into the Gilmore family and I told them that I would appreciate it if they accept us as a couple."

Lorelai rubbed her temples, trying to process what just happened. "Okay, Luke, so this communication thing really isn't working out. I think that we're both speaking some sort of secret code and the other doesn't have the key."

"What?" Luke asked, confused.

"Exactly," Lorelai pointed out. "When I told you that you were letting Emily and Richard Gilmore walk all over you, I wasn't looking for you to go over to their house and make things right… I was just hoping you'd stand up for yourself next time!"

Luke sighed. "I'm sorry, I just wanted this to work out so badly… I wanted everyone to be accepting of us!"

Lorelai nodded, putting her chin in her hands. She stared at Luke for a moment, trying her hardest to understand where he was coming from. "It's okay, Luke, but from now on, I'd appreciate it if you'd avoid the Gilmore Mansion without giving me a heads up first? Seriously, Luke, this became a much bigger deal than it had to be."

"Okay," Luke agreed, grabbing a rag to wipe the counter down with. "I can do that."

Lorelai took a sip of coffee and her curiosity got the best of her. "So what did they say?"

"What did who say?"

Lorelai shook her head, chuckling slightly. "Ah, you repress the thought so soon. My parents."

"Your father agreed with me."

Lorelai was surprised. "He agreed with you? About what?"

"About the fact that your mother should give us a chance," Luke replied.

Lorelai turned to face the window of the Diner. "Oh, look, it's Babe, and he's got WINGS!" she said sarcastically.

"I'm serious. He really wants this to work out, and your mother is warming up to the idea."

Grabbing her arms and rubbing them vigorously, Lorelai gave a mock shiver. "Brr, it's cold in here, did Hell freeze over?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "If you don't think I'm serious, then you'll see Friday night."

Lorelai absentmindedly put her hair behind her ear. "You're coming Friday? The last Friday Night dinner was traumatic, I thought."

"I'll get used to it. I'm making an effort, that's what's important, right?" Luke offered. "I can't expect it to go one way without me giving a little."

Reaching for the pastries, Lorelai smiled at Luke. "You're a good guy for trying, you know that?" She leaned in and gave him a kiss and was on her way to the inn.

As Lorelai walked in, she was quickly waved over by Michel. "What's wrong, Michel?" she asked.

Michel pointed to the computer. "This. It froze up, and I can't check people in or out. It's going to be a nightmare checking in the teddy bear convention!"

Lorelai stepped in front of Michel, attempting to fix the computer. She pressed the keys she knew would restart the system, but they yielded no result. She shook the mouse and clicked it vigorously, hoping for some progress.

"And you think I did not try that?" Michel noted.

Lorelai glared at Michel, turning off the computer and waiting a moment before turning it back on. When the system was up and running again, Lorelai didn't give Michel a hard time, but walked into the kitchen. "Sookie!"

"Oh, Lorelai, good! I need you to try this Chicken Pot Pie recipe," Sookie chattered as she pulled something out of the oven.

Lorelai stopped filling her coffee mug mid-pour and went over to assist Sookie. "Your food's always amazing, I'm not worried about you, sweetie."

"Try it? Please? I really need some reassurance on this one. I added more salt than usual and I wanted to know if it has a bad taste."

Reaching for a fork, Lorelai agreed to taste test for Sookie. She dug her fork into the piece Sookie cut and shoveled it quickly into her mouth. "Great stuff, Sook. Honestly, it doesn't taste bad at all."

Sookie clapped her hands together. "Oh, great. Thanks, Lorelai. Oh, yeah, and the teddy bear cupcakes are coming along great. I just need to put the eyes on, and then we're finished."

Lorelai nodded. "That's great. I'll be out front if you need me." She walked back to the front desk, overwhelmed in the thought of Luke's venture to the Gilmore mansion. What did he say? Was her father really on Luke's side? And Emily Gilmore, warming up to the idea of Lorelai and Luke as a couple?

She began to organize the front desk, feeling like she needed to do something, but she was unsure what it was. Her eyes went to the phone, and darted away. No, she couldn't call Emily and Richard. That wasn't right. She was going to let Luke handle it. Of course.

Meanwhile, back at the diner, Luke was in the midst of the lunch rush when he heard the bells above the door ring once again. He jerked his head up from the cash register to see Richard standing in the doorway.

"Luke, I'd like to talk to you if you get the chance."

Maybe Hell was freezing over.


	20. Just the Facts

Luke knew Richard wanted to take their conversation further. He had that feeling in the pit of his stomach, like everything wasn't over. He couldn't just leave Richard standing at the door, that was rude, and he couldn't ignore the customers. So, something had to be done, and quickly. Stepping out from behind the counter, he ushered Richard to a table with a nice view of the town.

"Is it okay if we talk in a few minutes? Here, have a seat, and order anything you'd like, it's on the house," Luke offered politely.

Richard shook his head. "No, no, I insist on paying. I heard it through the grapevine that your salads are absolutely scrumptious."

"Well," Luke started, "I'm sure you didn't hear that from Lorelai. If I had a nickel for every time I tried to get her to eat a salad but she refused, I'd be a very rich man."

Richard chuckled, taking the menu and looking at his options. "I'll take a Caesar salad, please. And take your time, we'll chat when you're available."

As Luke dealt with Richard at the diner, Lorelai was bored out of her mind at the inn. The teddy bear convention had booked two thirds of the inn, and the flow of other guests was less than desirable. She stood at the desk, her chin in her hands, staring out the window. She couldn't think of a single thing to do, until the telephone rang. She jumped, startled at the noise that broke the silence.

"Did you just get back from your vacation in the Time Machine? That is a telephone, it's used as a means of mass communication…" Michel taunted Lorelai from behind her.

Lorelai whipped her head around, and Michel walked away. She was glad she had some intimidation factor. "Dragonfly Inn, Lorelai speaking," she answered.

"So, I'm with my posse, and we're all getting hungry. I suggested we get some Philly cheese steak. You know, we're in Philadelphia, why not get some cheese steak, it's famous! So, we're all huddled in this tiny little hole-in-the wall place. I'm getting really hungry, and bored, so I take out my phone. And I open it, and shut it, you know, nervous habit of sorts…"

Lorelai shook her head. "Wait, wait, whoa, you have a POSSE?"

"Mom," Rory sighed, "my co-workers, my fellow journalists. I just liked the word posse."

"Well, in that case," Lorelai said, straightening up, "you're confusing me. Just the facts, ma'am, just the facts."

"Okay, long story short, we're in this place, and we're ready to order, and in walks… guess who walks in?" Rory said, peaking Lorelai's curiosity.

Lorelai grinned. "Paul Newman," she stated with conviction.

"Mom, really, why would Paul Newman come in to this place?"

Shrugging, Lorelai walked to the other side of the desk. "I don't know, you said guess. He was my guess."

"Well, guess again!" Rory insisted cheerfully.

Lorelai put her index finger on her chin in a thought process. "Barbra Streisand?"

"Okay, try Cal Ripken Junior."

Lorelai scrunched up her nose. "Does he have salad dressing, because if he doesn't, why should I care?"

Rory giggled. "It was more of a thought for Luke. See, Cal Ripken was a baseball player, and he was really good and everything. He played for Baltimore or something and why he's in Philadelphia I have no idea, but you're looking for just the facts. I got his autograph."

"Really? Oh, Luke's going to love you! Oh, wait, he already does love you, he spoils you!" Lorelai teased.

"I love being pampered and adored. It's rather fun, actually. Maybe you should come across some baseball players and get their autographs and maybe he'll feed you grapes and fan you as you lie on the couch."

Lorelai shook her head. "Like I'd be able to tell the difference between an ordinary citizen and a baseball player. How'd you know it was this guy, anyway?"

"The guys I was with were star struck, that's why. I give myself no credit other than having a baseball in my purse. Yes, random, I know. Do you want just the facts, or do you want me to go in-depth on that one?" Rory asked.

"Uh, in depth would be nice." Lorelai replied.

Rory sighed. "Okay, it's a random story, but a story at that. This guy I ended up sitting next to on the bus yesterday was talking about baseball like it was his life. He pulls out this baseball and tries to show me how to pitch. Weird. So, he gave me the baseball and told me to practice. I think he was flirting."

"And the apple fell, and she shouted, 'Eureka!'"

"Mom," Rory started, "I'm not going to date him, he's actually rather conceited."

Lorelai consented without pressing her daughter for more. "All right, all right."

"I gotta go, but will you tell Luke I have the baseball, and see what he wants me to do with it?" Rory asked.

"Anything for my little autograph fiend!"

"Love you mom," Rory said, laughing.

"Love you, too, sweets." She put down the phone, only to have it ring again immediately after she ended her first call. "Dragonfly inn," Lorelai chirped.

A panicked Luke's voice came from the other end. "Lorelai?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Your timing's impeccable, guess what?"

"Your father's here," he whispered. "In the middle of the lunch rush, and he wants to 'talk'. What do I do?"

Lorelai was shocked. "My father is there? Now? Oh, great, I knew this wasn't going to be good… here, I'll…"

"Lorelai, let me handle it, I need to stand up for him. I just need to know how to keep him occupied for an hour or so… it's crazy here."

Lorelai racked her brain for an idea. "Does he have a newspaper with him?"

Luke shook his head. "No, I don't think so."

"Give him a local paper. He'd be amused by it. That should keep him for about 45 minutes, and then you can have something to discuss when there are those weird pauses in the conversation," Lorelai insisted.

"Good idea. We'll talk about what you wanted to talk about later, okay?"

Lorelai nodded. "I will hold you to that."

"Thanks," Luke said, hanging up the phone. He grabbed that day's paper and walked over to Richard's table. "Here's this morning's paper. I figured you might want something to read while you had your salad. Let me know if you need anything else."

Richard smiled. "This should be an entertaining piece to read, I thank you," he said, putting on his glasses and folding the paper to make it easier to read.

When Luke finally had some time to spare, he walked over to Richard and sat down. "Sorry to keep you waiting, would you like to talk here?"

Richard shut the paper. "Of course, and it's no problem. What local color you have in this town," he mused.

"Ah, you know, everyone's got their quirks, some more than others. We just happen to be the safe haven for those with an extraordinarily large amount of them," Luke replied.

Richard nodded. "Do you like the town, Luke?"

"I grew up here. I don't think I'd ever leave. I've thought about moving somewhere more… sane, but I realized that Lorelai loves it here, and that's the reason I'm still living here."

Richard nodded. "You do seem to put her first. Not many of the men in her life, in fact none that I can recall, seem to have those same attributes. When do you two plan on getting married?"

Luke shook his head. "We're starting from the beginning, taking it one day at a time, working out our issues. It won't be a quick thing."

"I see. That's actually a good thing, because the real reason I came here was to apologize for our behavior towards you. You seem like a good man with the best of intentions, and I'd hate for Emily's accusations to be correct. Emily's not one to deal with change very well, you see, she's rather stubborn about it unless it was her idea in the first place. So, I hope you can at least attempt to identify with her. She means no harm by her actions."

Luke nodded. "I understand. I'm not one for change, either."

"Well, I best be going. I have a conference call at four. Good to see you, Luke, and thank you for speaking with me on no notice at all," Richard said, extending his hand.

Luke shook Richard's hand. "It's no problem."

"We will see you Friday Night," Richard said, walking out of the diner.


	21. Taste of the Town

Lorelai was so glad that the teddy bear convention was leaving town. She could finally pack those teddy bears away. It was a slow day, and she didn't really feel like doing anything else. She picked up the first teddy bear, one that sat on the mantel of the inn's fireplace. She smiled when she looked at it. It was a ballerina teddy bear, much like one she could remember having on a stand in her childhood bedroom, strategically placed on a shelf high above her.

The teddy bears were scattered across the inn in random spots, so Lorelai felt she had another 'Kirk in the town square with Easter eggs rotting' moment coming up. She'd be finding them for weeks. She wasn't even sure she'd purchased all of them, because Sookie and Tobin had taken care of that in one trip. She made her way upstairs and found a bear dressed in a baseball uniform. She picked it up and smiled, thinking, of course, of Luke.

Her mind wandered as she collected all the bears. Rory loved the few teddy bears she had as a child. Lorelai loved watching Rory play with them when she was young. Lorelai sighed, realizing that she wanted to have that again. She wanted to be able to watch another little girl (and possibly a boy as well) grow up and pass from the teddy bear stage to the makeup or the stage she hadn't experienced yet with a boy. She wanted to have more kids, and she wanted them with Luke.

She smiled at the thought, then shook it off a little bit. She'd had a few moments when she'd gone deep in the imagining phase, most of them occurring when things were good with Luke. When she'd been presented with the potential possibility of becoming a mom again, she'd thought about it a lot. She'd pulled herself out of many a reverie because she didn't want to get too emotional about it before it happened, just in case the talk about it didn't go so well with Luke. Lorelai realized she hadn't had a serious talk with Luke about more kids since they'd been back together.

But then again, she'd have to figure out things with her parents first. For some reason it was eating away at her this time. After so many failed relationships, disapprovals, and shouting matches over said disapprovals, she so desperately wanted Luke to be accepted by her parents. Placing the box of teddy bears behind the desk, Lorelai walked in to the kitchen where Sookie was preparing chicken parmesan for dinner.

"Is there a coffee shortage, or am I in Coffeeville?" Lorelai asked upon her arrival, looking for the coffee beans to start making herself some.

Sookie shook her head. "We don't get the coffee shipment until 4. We've only got decaf and I didn't want to tell you, you seemed kind of…"

Lorelai leaned against the counter. "Kind of what? Have I been mean to you? Oh, Sookie…"

"No, no, not mean, no, that was last week," she teased. "You just seem… out of it. You okay?"

She shrugged. "I guess so. I mean, I just want this Luke thing to work out, you know?"

"I thought everything was dandy between you two. Did Anna come in and screw this all up? I knew she would, she seemed like the type to bring a guy on Jerry Springer and swear at him and want to hit him with a chair," Sookie mused.

Lorelai giggled. "No, Anna hasn't screwed things up, it's my parents."

Sookie nodded. "Naturally, Emily and Richard make everything in your life difficult. What's going on now?"

"I just… I don't know, I so desperately want my parents to accept Luke. And I know what you're going to say. You didn't care if they accepted anyone else, you just went ahead, right? Yeah, that's true. But I want them to accept him so badly because I love him, Sookie. He's the man I want to spend the rest of my life with, and I'd hate for Luke to ALWAYS dread Friday Night dinner. I mean, my parents and I don't always get along, but I'd much rather have them approve. It would make my life so much easier, and Luke's too," Lorelai explained.

Sookie stirred her sauce as she listened. "Well, then, maybe you should talk to Emily then," Sookie reasoned. "Maybe if you tell her this, it will make her feel more included, like your relationship is stable. Maybe that's the reason she's hesitant to like the guys you date, maybe she's testing them."

Lorelai looked at Sookie. "Wow. Deep thinker today, huh?"

"My horoscope told me I needed to be a friend to someone today, and I figured it'd be you. I say you go to Luke's and get yourself some coffee and take the rest of the day off. Then you go talk to Emily," Sookie suggested.

"All right," Lorelai consented. "Hey, Sookie?"

Sookie turned around, wiping her hands on her apron. "Yeah?"

Lorelai looked down at her feet before she started. "Uh, you know all those bears you bought for the convention?"

Sookie giggled. "Yeah, I don't know what we're going to do with them. The teddy bear convention's somewhere different every year, it's not like they're going to re-book it or anything."

"Can I take them off your hands?"

Sookie smiled, knowing exactly what her best friend was thinking. "You're the owner of the inn, you paid for them."

Lorelai nodded and walked out of the kitchen. She put the boxes of teddy bears in the passenger seat of the Jeep and drove to Luke's. She walked in, stopping in her tracks at the lack of patronage at the lunch hour, and sat at the counter. Luke came out from the kitchen.

"Hi," he said.

She smiled. "Hey, what's with the invisible customers?"

"Huh?"

"How come no one's in the diner?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I think it's 'Taste of the Town' day. Everyone goes to Hartford and samples all these restaurants, and they rate the food. It's free," he explained.

"Sounds like my kinda place. Although I'm already avoiding Hartford at all costs," she said, watching Luke make a fresh pot of coffee.

"Why's that?" Luke asked.

Lorelai sat down. "Emily and Richard, duh," she said.

Luke nodded. "Ah."

She sighed. "So how do you think everyone's handling… us?"

Luke looked at her. "I don't really know."

"Well, to use the food metaphor, I don't think they've really gotten a taste of us together again yet, except when I put the purple ribbons up," she explained.

"You really are food motivated, aren't you?" he asked.

Lorelai grinned. "Food is something I can actually talk about. But anyway, so they really haven't seen us together yet."

He shrugged. "Do we really need to parade around the town square, holding hands?"

She shook her head. "No, we don't, but I'm just surprised I haven't gotten more questions," she said.

"You haven't gotten any because they're directing them all to me," Luke said with a roll of his eyes.

Lorelai giggled. "I'm just… I don't know, I'd hate for anyone to disapprove."

"Who disapproves?" Luke asked. "And what makes you care what they think, anyway?"

"Well, for one thing, my parents hate that we're together," Lorelai started.

Luke refilled Lorelai's coffee mug. "I think your father's warming up to the idea of us," he said. "I was going to tell you about it after you were finished talking, but he came by the diner yesterday, and we had this talk. We talked about your mom and how your mom really doesn't like change. She hates things in her life to change and I was a change. So, your dad tried to get me to understand."

"What did you say?" Lorelai asked, reaching for a donut.

"I said that I hate change myself, so I kind of get it," he replied.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I do have to talk to her, don't I?"

"Sounds like the right thing to do," Luke mused.

Lorelai pointed to the 'to go' mugs behind the counter. "Then I suppose I'll need this in one of those," she said. "Let's do it now while I'm actually in good spirits and my mother's alone."

"Good thinking," Luke said, pouring her coffee in the mug and giving Lorelai a kiss.

"I'll see you tonight?" Lorelai asked.

Luke nodded. "That you will. Good luck."

"I'll need it," Lorelai groaned. As much as she hated the idea, Lorelai was partially looking forward to getting the talk with Emily over with. Once and for all, she'd like the man Lorelai was with, because there wasn't going to be another one.

Lorelai got into the Jeep and drove the long way to Hartford, circling the neighborhood a few times before finally, reluctantly, pulling into her parents' driveway. She got out of the Jeep, disposed of her coffee mug, and rang the doorbell.


	22. Understanding

A timid looking maid answered the door. She cordially, but quietly, invited Lorelai in and went to get Emily. The moments between the arrival and Emily's descent down the stairs seemed like hours. Lorelai wanted to get it over with.

"Lorelai, what are you doing here?" Emily asked, surprised.

"Hi, Mom, do you have a little while to talk about something?"

Emily was suspicious. "Is everything all right at the inn? Is Rory okay? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Mom. I just… wanted to talk to you. Include you in my life. If you don't want it, I'll leave," Lorelai insisted.

Emily's face softened a little. She sighed. "Mariah, make some coffee for me and my daughter, please," she called.

Lorelai smiled. "Thanks."

Emily and Lorelai awkwardly stood in the foyer of the Gilmore home, not knowing what to do or say next. Emily cleared her throat, and looked at Lorelai who awkwardly glanced around the room. "Would you like to chat outside?"

"Sounds nice," Lorelai said softly. She followed Emily outside to a table and two chairs that were set up. Emily and Lorelai seated themselves, and Lorelai awkwardly accepted the coffee the maid had prepared. She looked at Emily, who showed no emotion on her face. "Mom?"

Emily put her coffee cup down onto its saucer. "What was it that you'd like to talk to me about?" she asked. The look on her face suggested that she was fearing the worst.

Lorelai sighed. "Well, I know you don't like change. And I also know that you weren't… quite ready to accept Luke before this whole mess happened. I understand that I constantly made changes in my life, and that threw you for a loop. I'm sorry about that," she started. "But I want you to know that Luke is… permanent in my life. That isn't going to change. I value your opinion, and I respect your right as my mother to have an opinion, but… I love Luke, and your opinion can't change how I feel about him."

Emily sipped her coffee once again, looking at Lorelai and waiting for her to be finished with her speech.

Lorelai could sense the tension, so she continued to stumble into her speech. "And I know you aren't… ready to do an Ashlee Simpson jig about this relationship… but I hope that you and I can come to an understanding about who Luke is in your life and mine. Luke isn't going away anymore. He's here to stay."

"Are you finished?" Emily asked.

Lorelai nodded, sensing a tongue lashing coming on. She mentally braced herself, attempting to think of many good comebacks that she swore she'd be needing. But she was shocked when Emily began to speak.

"I understand where you're coming from."

Lorelai nearly choked on her coffee. Emily Gilmore understood? This could be an interesting conversation. "You understand?" Lorelai clarified.

Emily nodded. "Just because one disapproves of a relationship between two people, that shouldn't cause those people to terminate or alter their relationship, Lorelai. I've had… somewhat similar experiences in my life."

"Right, with Gran," Lorelai said softly.

Emily continued. "And if you truly love this man… then I think that we've reached the understanding that you're looking for."

Lorelai let out a sigh of relief. It felt as though the non existent anvils that seemed to be weighing her down were lifted off her shoulders, giving her a new sense of happiness. "Really?"

"Yes, Lorelai, what, do you think Demi Moore's husband is going to come out of the bushes and laugh at you? Honestly, Lorelai, you either read too much into things or not at all," Emily replied. "I'm not that cruel."

"Thank you," Lorelai said, taking another sip of coffee. She had to replay the conversation in her head to comprehend it fully. She and her mother had just reached an understanding. She made a mental note to check if there were any sights of flying pigs in Stars Hollow upon her return.

Emily looked down into her coffee cup. "So does this mean that you're going to reveal your engagement to me now?"

Lorelai shot her head up. "Mom, I'm not engaged. Not yet, at least. I'd like to be, someday… just not right now."

"Oh," Emily said, her tone sounding almost dejected.

"But," Lorelai added, "I'll let you know when it happens. I promise."

"Thank you," Emily said sincerely.

Lorelai nodded. "Sure."

Emily finished her coffee. "I hate to be rude, but I have a DAR fundraiser tonight," she said.

"Oh, of course, uh… thanks for having me."

Emily walked Lorelai to the front door. "We'll see you and Luke on Friday. If Luke's available as well."

Lorelai nodded. "We'll be here," she reassured Emily. She got into the Jeep, replaying the events of the past hour or so in her mind. She wasn't quite sure if she should be happy, nervous, or a mix of both, but she was relieved that the talk went so well. She pulled into the driveway to find Luke sitting on the front step. "Hey, what are you doing out here?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I couldn't remember which ridiculous animal you leave the spare key in."

Lorelai smiled. "It's been the same for… hey, why don't I just make you a copy of the key and you can come inside whenever?"

"Really? That's not going too fast?" Luke asked.

She shook her head. "No, it's not. I'll get it to the hardware store tomorrow," she said, leaning in to give him a kiss.

Luke was somewhat taken aback by Lorelai's cheerful mood, especially after just coming back from talking to Emily. "How did it go? With… your mom?"

"Well," Lorelai started, "barring a space time continuum clash, things went unexpectedly well. She and I came to an understanding."

Luke was a little confused. "An understanding?"

"Stop the presses, interrupt regularly scheduled programming, and women hide your children understanding," Lorelai explained, trying to relay the gravity of the good news to Luke. When she saw the relieved look in his eyes, she felt even better than before.


	23. New and Improved Box

The next Friday night dinner at the Gilmore mansion was so much less stress on Lorelai, and on Luke. Upon their arrival, Luke and Lorelai were shocked to see the pleasant manner in which they were greeted and escorted into the house.

"Would you like your usual drink, Lorelai?" Richard asked.

"Yes, please," she said.

Richard prepared the drinks, and Emily politely carried on conversation. "Luke, what's the capacity of your diner?"

Luke cleared his throat, bracing himself for an intense tongue lashing about his diner. "Well, it's pretty small, I guess about a hundred or so at best?"

Emily nodded. "I was correct, then. A friend of mine stopped by a few weeks ago, telling me it was much smaller than it actually was. Then again, she always has been an incorrigible pessimist."

"You and your friend had a debate on what size Luke's was?" Lorelai asked, downing some of her drink.

"I recommended it to her, actually. She was on her way through Connecticut, traveling from Maine, and she was attempting to get to Florida. She likes cozy establishments like the diner, and she likes lots of local color, so I suggested it. I can speak ill of it instead if you wish," Emily said haughtily.

Lorelai shook her head. "No, no, it was just… nice," she said.

"Is your friend very tall, with brown hair, she wore gloves and wiped the seat down with a handkerchief?" Luke asked.

Emily laughed. "That's definitely Rosaline. She has an inability to blend in. I'm sorry for any trouble she may have caused you, Luke."

"She was no trouble, Emily," Luke replied.

Lorelai shot Luke a glare and began to laugh out loud. As she laughed, Emily gave her a stern look. "Lorelai, do you find it polite to laugh at others' tendencies? I could laugh at your inability to dress appropriately, but I have decorum."

Lorelai rolled her eyes and sighed. "So, Rory's coming home tonight!" she said, trying to change the subject.

"We are all aware, Lorelai," Richard added, "You've mentioned it three times tonight, already."

"Well," Lorelai let out a nervous laugh, "I just wanted to make sure everyone was as excited as I am."

As Emily began to open her mouth again, the maid came in and announced that dinner was going to be served. Emily and Richard made their way into the dining room and Lorelai pulled Luke aside. "Luke!" she hissed, "They like you better than me! What is this, grade school?"

"Grade school?" Luke repeated.

Lorelai sighed. "When everyone wants to be the teacher's favorite, Luke, seriously, you have no idea what I'm talking about?"

"I don't, but I can tell you that your parents will be a little more frustrated with you if you don't go to dinner," Luke said, gently leading her to the dining room.

Lorelai and Luke seated themselves at the table and dinner was served. Lorelai made a face at what was placed in front of her. "Spaghetti?"

"Honestly, Lorelai, must you insult every dish I serve at Friday night dinner?" Emily huffed. "It seems as though you can't be pleased with anything but Fruity Pebbles and chocolate milk."

"Ooh, that sounds really good right now," Lorelai said, properly twirling her noodles onto her fork. She turned to Luke and gave him a smile. "On the way home we have to stop at the store, I need Fruity Pebbles and chocolate milk."

Luke rolled his eyes as he took a bite of his pasta. "That sounds even more disgusting than your concoction last week, which I will refrain from mentioning at the dinner table."

Emily buttered her roll as she looked at Lorelai. "Just when you think she's outdone herself…"

Richard sighed. "So, Luke, I hear you're a baseball enthusiast," he offered.

"Yes, sir, I am. I didn't know you were interested," Luke replied.

"Why, of course! I grew up watching some of the greats… I was present at Ted Williams' final game," Richard recalled.

Luke nodded. "Must have been some game," he replied. "My father was there as well."

Emily smiled. "It's a small world, isn't it?" she offered.

"Ooh, what if they were sitting next to each other, and they didn't know it, but someday, their children would meet and fall in love… it's a great story," Lorelai mused.

Richard ignored Lorelai's comments. "You should come to my study after dinner. I have some memorabilia I think you'd enjoy taking a look at."

Luke's eyes widened. "Sure. That would be great."

After the dinner was over, and Lorelai endured about an hour of painful chit chat with her mother, Luke emerged from Richard's study with some items in his hands. As they walked back to the Jeep, Luke shook his head. "Your dad basically just gave me all of this."

"Is it worth any money? Maybe you can sell it and we can buy a penguin!" Lorelai suggested.

Luke shook his head. "We're never getting a penguin, and no, we're not selling this stuff. I have a place for it."

As they arrived at Lorelai's house, there was already a car in the driveway. Lorelai quickly parked the Jeep and ran inside, leaving Luke far behind. She quickly opened the door to the house and called for Rory. "RORY!"

Rory came downstairs and the two hugged, laughed, cried, and talked for what seemed like an eternity. Rory motioned to the door as she saw Luke bringing a big box in from outside. "What's with him? Is he moving in?" she asked with a smile.

Lorelai turned to face the door. "Not that I know of. But, he got all sorts of loot from your grandpa tonight, I'm sure that's what it is."

"Loot?" Rory asked. "All I can think of is bank robbers in black masks with the bags full of money that have the big dollar sign on them."

"Well, you could say that this is Luke's version of that," Lorelai said, plopping herself down on the couch.

Rory smiled. "I know what he's doing…" she said, trailing off to peak Lorelai's curiosity.

"He bought Paul Anka a sibling?" Lorelai guessed.

"Nope."

"He bought me a coffee fountain?"

"Mom, really, would Luke promote this more than he has to?"

Lorelai sighed. "You're right, you're right. Hey, boyfriend of mine, what are you doing?"

Luke emerged from the kitchen holding a big box. "Remember that box you and Rory made?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yes, yes I do."

"Well, I wanted to… sort of… make one for all of us. The four of us, you know? You, me, Rory, April?" Luke started.

"I knew it," Rory said.

Lorelai got off of the couch, and knelt down in front of the box, digging through it. He had put the menu and most of the other things from the original box inside, plus some of his baseball memorabilia.

"We can leave it open until April finds something she wants to put inside," Luke reasoned.

Lorelai got up and walked around the box to Luke. "This was such a good idea. It's a new and improved box. I like it," she said, planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Good. I'm glad you like it. And I'm actually glad you found the original. Even though it was a crazy idea in the first place, I guess it wasn't so bad in the grand scheme of things," Luke replied.

Lorelai jumped up and down. "So you just admitted one of my ideas was good! We can add that as part of the box's contents, Rory, get started on the 'do not open' note?"

"Aye, aye cap'n!" Rory replied.

"You're insane," Luke insisted.

Lorelai shrugged. "Well, it brought us back together, sort of, didn't it? And I seem to recall this box being YOUR idea."

"Point taken," Luke consented.

As Lorelai ran around the house in search of things that she wouldn't notice were gone, Rory sat with a notebook and pen, trying to write the note Lorelai insisted that she write. "You know, I think she likes her new and improved box?" Rory asked.

"I do, too," Luke replied.

_The End_


End file.
